Mark Duggan : Linked to ten shootings and two murders before he was shot and killed by police while travelling in a minicab . Violent gangster Mark Duggan – whose death sparked the 2011 riots – was holding a gun when a police marksman opened fire , a report concluded yesterday . An exhaustive three-and-a-half year investigation by the police watchdog completely exonerated the firearms officer who shot Duggan of any wrongdoing . The 500-page report concluded that the marksman , known only as V53 , used ‘ reasonable and proportionate force ’ and said that there is no ‘ reliable evidence ’ to undermine his account . And it backed V53 ’ s version of events : that he shot Duggan because he saw a gun and thought the gangster was about to open fire . Last year an inquest ruled that Duggan was lawfully killed – but the jury concluded that he had dropped the gun some time before he was shot . However , yesterday ’ s report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission said the gangster was holding the gun and was ‘ in the process of throwing it to his right as he was shot ’ . The IPCC said it based its conclusions on the evidence from the inquest and extra evidence which it obtained later . In the aftermath of Duggan ’ s death , supposed witnesses claimed they saw police marksmen shoot him after he had already given himself up . One claimed she saw police officers plant a gun at the scene minutes after the shooting . All of these accounts were rejected by the IPCC because the accounts were riddled with inconsistencies . The investigation also rejected claims made by Duggan ’ s mother Pamela and girlfriend Precious Douaihy that officers tampered with evidence and lied in their witness statements . Before his death , Duggan , 29 , was considered to be one of Britain ’ s most violent gangsters who was linked to ten shootings and two murders . Aftermath : Duggan 's body lies in the street moments after he was killed . A report today ruled that he had run from the minicab holding the gun wrapped in a sock , at which point officers opened fire . He was placed under surveillance in August 2011 after officers learnt he was about to pick up a gun from Kevin Hutchinson-Foster , an associate , in Leyton , east London . After Duggan had collected the weapon , the minicab in which he was travelling was stopped by armed police during the evening rush-hour in Tottenham , north London . The IPCC rejected wild conspiracy theories and inaccurate witness statements , which were promoted by Mark Duggan ’ s supporters . The father-of-four , who had taken the party drug ecstasy , then ran out of the Toyota minicab holding the gun , the report said . Duggan was shot twice by V53 after the officer saw him raise a gun wrapped in a sock towards him . One bullet hit the gangster in his right bicep and the other hit him in the chest . When stopped by police he was carrying a BBM Bruni starter pistol that had been converted into a ‘ lethal ’ handgun capable of firing 9mm bullets . The marksman has repeatedly said that it was his ‘ honestly held belief ’ that Duggan was about to shoot him and his colleagues . ‘ The world just stopped in my head , ’ he told the inquest . ‘ It ’ s like a freeze frame moment . The only thing I was focusing on is the gun. ’ Duggan ’ s death triggered four days of rioting and looting across England , leading to five deaths and £200million of damage . More than 1,400 were later jailed over the riots . The IPCC report found that Scotland Yard ’ s decision to place Duggan under surveillance was ‘ logical and legitimate ’ because he was ‘ coming to prominence ’ as an active member of the notorious Tottenham ManDem gang . It also said that undercover officers were right to stop Duggan when he was in the minicab . After studying more than 1,200 documents , 500 witness statements and 340 exhibits , it found ‘ no indication of misconduct for any armed officer involved ’ . But it recommended that police forces should use audio and video equipment to record undercover operations so they can provide an ‘ accurate and incontrovertible ’ record of what happened . IPCC deputy chairman Rachel Cerfontyne said : ‘ Our findings are based on the best available evidence , checked and cross-checked. ’ Last night , the Duggan family released a statement in which they claimed the report ‘ confirms their belief that the IPCC are unfit for purpose ’ . The family described the watchdog ’ s conduct as ‘ a chronicle of inefficiency and incompetence ’ .
Mark Duggan , 29 , was shot twice during rush hour in Tottenham in 2011 . Conflicting accounts of death laid blame on police , sparking London riots . But report today by IPCC said firearms officer was justified in shooting . Found Duggan had run from cab holding gun in sock when he was killed . Rejected theories of Duggan 's supporters , saying they were contradictory .