‘Don’t rush to judgment over fatal shooting’

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said that was a key element in its probe, stressing the sequence of events was not yet known, despite a newspaper report which claimed the investigation had found no forensic evidence that he was carrying a non-police-issue gun.

On the day Mr Duggan was shot, there was overwhelming evidence that he had obtained a firearm, the Guardian said, but the investigation is considering whether he had the weapon in his possession when he was shot.

The IPCC, which is considering a complaint to the Press watchdog over the article in the Guardian, said the investigation was examining a range of issues.

“This is a complex investigation that involves gathering information including witness statements, pathology, forensics and ballistics analysis and we have stated to the coroner that it will be completed within four to six months. One of the key elements we will seek to establish is the sequence of events concerning the non-police issue firearm found at the scene. That has not been established yet, contrary to what has been written in the Guardian article today.

“We would urge people not to rush to judgment until our investigation is complete and they have the opportunity to see and hear the full evidence themselves.”

Mr Duggan’s death in Tottenham, north London, was the trigger for the first of four nights of riots that spread from the capital across England.

Initial reports he shot at police were dismissed by ballistic tests.

Mr Duggan was a passenger in a minicab which was apparently stopped by police near Tottenham Hale Tube station.

A non-police-issue handgun, converted from a blank-firing pistol to one that shoots live rounds, was recovered close to the scene of his death.