Appeal over death that sparked riot

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A witness appeal has been made exactly a week after Mark Duggan was shot dead in Tottenham.

The death of the father-of-four, who received a gunshot wound to the chest last Thursday, was a trigger for the first night of rioting in north London on Saturday.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) handed out leaflets to members of the community, appealing for witnesses as part of their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 29-year-old's death.

Mr Duggan was a passenger in a silver Toyota Estima people carrier minicab which is believed to have been stopped by police.

He was shot last Thursday, August 4, at 6.15pm in Ferry Lane near to Tottenham Hale Tube station. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6.41pm, the IPCC said.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Mr Duggan's family has requested a second post-mortem examination be held.

Ten IPCC investigators handed out leaflets at the scene of the shooting, accompanied by community activists.

Officers are now trawling through CCTV footage of the incident, as well as recordings of 999 calls and radio transmissions.

IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: "It is one week since Mark Duggan died on Ferry Lane.

"It is a busy road and there is a busy tube and train station just minutes away. I want to appeal directly to anyone who saw or heard anything that may assist us with our investigation - or if you know anyone who has any information and has yet to come forward and speak to us, please urge them to do so.

"The more information that our investigators have the better picture we will be able to build in to the circumstances of Mark Duggan's death."

Ken Hinds, a member of the IPCC Community Reference Group that will scrutinise their investigation, said: "I don't know if our community is comfortable with the IPCC - there are concerns from the past history.

"People like myself are determined that it will be as transparent and as thorough as it needs to be.

"If they come forward, people can have an impact on this investigation.

"There are concerns around the police, so I wanted to put myself forward to reassure others and assist them."

Describing the feeling a week after the death of Mr Duggan, he added: "I think people have vented their anger. The primary reaction was of frustration.

"I don't condone the aftermath of what we saw and I believe it was totally preventable."

Tottenham community activist Dr Darren Henry said that questions had to be answered about the circumstances surrounding last Thursday's shooting.

He said: "The family are grieving and in a tremendous amount of pain.

"Their pain is only going to be reduced by them knowing what happened to their son."

Dr Henry said the community wanted "justice for Mark".

He added: "Our questions aren't being answered. We don't think the family has been treated well and there is a total lack of respect.

"What we want, more than anything else, is some cohesion and some peace."

SOURCE:PA