LONDON: A watchdog investigating the fatal shooting of a man by police, which sparked three days of rioting and looting across London and other British cities, said on Tuesday there was no evidence a handgun retrieved at the scene had been fired.
Reports initially suggested 29-year-old Mark Duggan had shot at police.
His death sparked a riot in a north London borough on Saturday night when a peaceful demonstration over the shooting turned violent.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a statement that ballistic test results showed "at this stage there is no evidence that the handgun found at the scene was fired during the incident."
Duggan's death came after two shots were fired by a special firearms officer, the IPCC said.
The initial results also confirmed reports that a bullet found lodged in a police radio at the scene was police issue.
Forensic officers told the IPCC that it may not be possible to "say for certain" whether the handgun found close to Duggan had been fired.
Copyright Reuters, 2011
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.