A new report into the London riots has shown no evidence the police shooting victim had a gun in his hand.
THERE is no evidence Mark Duggan – whose killing by police sparked deadly riots throughout London and wider England in August – was holding a gun when he was shot dead, according to the findings of an official probe cited by the Guardian late Saturday.
The newspaper said an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation had found that 29-year-old Duggan was in possession of a firearm the day he was killed, but there was no forensic evidence that he was holding the weapon when officers opened fire.
The gun was found near the car Duggan had been traveling in, and while his fingerprints were found on a shoebox in which the gun was kept, his DNA and fingerprints were not on the pistol or the sock it was hidden in.
The IPCC’s findings, according to the Guardian, also say that the evidence suggests Duggan’s weapon was not fired.
The probe says he appeared to know he was being followed and would be stopped, sending a cell phone message nine minutes before he died saying, “Trident have jammed me,” in reference to the police operation targeting gun crime among London’s African-Caribbean community.
An IPCC spokesperson said, “The ongoing IPCC investigation into the death of Mark Duggan is examining a range of issues. We are providing updates and, where possible, answers to the family of Mr. Duggan.
“This is a complex investigation that … will be completed within four to six months.”
There is also an investigation underway into the actions of officers investigating an earlier crime in which the gun being carried by Duggan was used in a pistol-whipping – before it was handed on to Duggan. The IPCC is probing whether more could have been done to stop the weapon being handed on.
Duggan was shot in the chest in Tottenham, north London, on August 4 after officers tailed the minicab in which he was traveling. They reportedly had intelligence that he possessed a weapon.
His death set of a wave of destructive violence which spread from London to other urban areas in the UK.
Author: Chief Editor
Nigerian Community,News, Events and more
