Man killed by police was cab passenger

Officers had been attempting to carry out an arrest under the Trident operational command unit, which deals with gun crime in the black community, according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Shots were fired and a 29-year-old man died at the scene of the shooting in Ferry Lane, Tottenham, north London, on Thursday, an IPCC spokesman said.

An officer’s radio, which appears to have a bullet lodged in it, has been recovered, he added.

The man was named locally as Mark Duggan, said to be a father-of-four.

London’s Evening Standard newspaper quoted the dead man’s girlfriend, Simone Wilson, 29, as saying she was “shocked” to learn her boyfriend of 13 years was carrying a gun.

She said Mr Duggan, also known as Starrish Mark, had become increasingly paranoid after a cousin was stabbed to death in a nightclub in March.

The IPCC spokesman said that at around 6.15pm on Thursday officers from Trident, accompanied by officers from the Specialist Firearms Command (CO19), stopped a minicab to carry out an arrest.

“Shots were fired and a 29-year-old man, who was a passenger in the cab, died at the scene,” he said.

The attempted arrest was part of a pre-planned operation under Trident.

It is believed that two shots were fired by a firearms officer, equipped with a Heckler & Koch MP5 carbine.

A non-police issue handgun was recovered at the scene.

An officer’s radio which appears to have a bullet lodged in it has also been recovered.

“A CO19 officer was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure but has since been discharged.”