Pc blinded by gunman Raoul Moat found dead Tributes have been paid today to Pc David Rathband, the police officer who was shot and blinded by gunman Raoul Moat in July 2010. Rathband, 44, was found dead last night at his home in Blyth, Northumberland after police received reports expressing "concerns for his welfare." The circumstances of his death are not yet known but a police spokesman said they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the death. He is thought to have taken his own life. Prime Minister David Cameron, who had met the officer, today described him as an "extraordinarily brave man" who did "an enormous amount for charity." Home Secretary Theresa May also paid tribute to Rathband saying, "I had the privilege of meeting Pc David Rathband. He was a brave and fine policeman. My thoughts are with his family. Pc Rathband was shot at close range as he sat in his patrol car on the outskirts of Newcastle during the manhunt for Raoul Moat. Moat, a former bouncer managed to evade capture for a week before shooting himself during a stand-off with police in the town of Rothbury. He had shot and injured his former partner Samantha Stobart, 22, and killed her boyfriend, Chris Brown, 29. A father-of-two teenagers, Pc Rathband lost his sight following the shooting and was fitted with prosthetic eyes. Paying tribute, Chief Constable Sue Sim said she was "deeply saddened" by his death and described him as a "dedicated officer." She also praised his "outstanding bravery in what was a terrifying situation." Following the attack Pc Rathband formed a charity, the Blue Lamp Foundation, to help emergency staff injured in the line of duty. The charity said on its website today that Rathband had "struggled to come to terms with his horrific injuries," but that his legacy would live on in the charity he established. Former Scotland Yard commander John O'Connor said that the consequences of Pc Rathband's injuries had been "too much for him to live with."