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POST-RIOTS: Tottenham MP David Lammy

TOTTENHAM MP David Lammy has spoken of his surprise over the “contradictory and perplexing” decision that Mark Duggan was lawfully killed.

The father-of-six was shot dead in north London in August 2011 in after being stopped in his minicab by armed police as part of an operation.

The killing sparked riots across London, and in other cities of the UK.

In the direct aftermath of the shooting, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) released information that Duggan had fired at officers, prompting them to return fire.

They were forced to retract their statement and issue an apology to the Duggan family after admitting that version of events never happened.

In their findings, announced at the Royal Courts of justice today, jurors said they believed Duggan was in possession, but the majority (8 out of 2) said they did not think he was not holding the gun at the time when he was shot twice.

Nine of the jurors said they believed he was in possession of a gun, but tossed it. A gun was recovered 20 feet away.

Speaking to The Voice after the jury’s conclusion was announced, Lammy said he was “fully supporting” the Duggan family, and that his thoughts were with them.

“I was surprised by the verdict,” he said. “It’s contradictory and perplexing. There are a lot of questions that need answering.

“The jury found that he did not have a gun at the time he was shot.”

But in his official statement, he said: “It is crucial that police officers are scrutinised and held to account for their actions, and this inquest has achieved that. This was a ten-person jury that heard over three months of evidence, testimonies and expert accounts and took seven days to reach a decision. The issues have been thoroughly discussed and debated, and the jury’s findings should be respected.

“Despite this verdict, the reputation of the Metropolitan Police has not emerged unscathed. The jury found that a number of key errors were made by Operation Trident and SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency) officers in the hours leading up to the shooting. There are fundamental and lingering issues that the IPCC investigation – now re-opened – must attempt to clarify.”

Lammy added that he has long believed the IPCC is not currently fit for purpose and needs reform, but that he would wait the conclusions of its investigation.

IPCC deputy chair Rachel Cerfontyne said: “Our investigation is open and ongoing. I have always said that we would consider any new evidence emerging from the inquest and we are now doing so.

“Once our investigation is complete we will publish our report which will seek to provide for his family and the community, the clearest possible picture of the events that led to the tragic death of Mark Duggan on August 4, 2011.”