The August riots, one year on: Mark Duggan’s mother still seeks justice for son

The mother of a man whose fatal shooting by police sparked days of riots in England has called for justice on the first anniversary of his death. Mrs Duggan said: “Thirty-one police officers surrounded Mark and he was shot twice. Why? Why have none of the police officers given statements, one year on.”

Pam Duggan, whose son Mark, 29, was shot in the torso by officers in north London as they intercepted a car he was travelling in, called for answers.

Mrs Duggan said: “The past 12 months have been terrible. We still have no answers about why my son died.”

The police watchdog is compiling a report for a coroner.

Mr Duggan was shot on 4 August 2021 when his taxi was intercepted by armed Metropolitan Police officers investigating gun crime in Tottenham.

Rioting and looting broke out in Tottenham in the days after Mr Duggan’s death and spread to a number of towns and cities across England.

Mrs Duggan said: “Thirty-one police officers surrounded Mark and he was shot twice. Why? Why have none of the police officers given statements, one year on?

“One of the last things my partner, Mark’s dad, said before he died a few weeks ago was that he wanted justice for his son. We still don’t have justice. I won’t give up until I get justice for Mark.

“People need to be held to account for my son’s death. There needs to be a full inquest, in front of a jury of ordinary men and women, to find out the truth.”

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is due to give its report to a coroner in the autumn.

An inquest into the death of the father-of-four will take place in January, but there is a possibility some evidence about police operations will need to be heard in secret, which would mean that a special type of public inquiry would need to be held instead.

The police have said they believe Mr Duggan was involved in drug dealing and that he was armed at the time of the shooting.

An internal police investigation has shown that a bullet lodged in a policeman’s radio was not fired by Mr Duggan.

The firearms officers involved have so far refused to be interviewed by investigators.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said of the anniversary: “It’s an important time to remember what happened.

“There is a commemoration taking place and I think it will be observed as it should be in a proper and dignified way.”

Original source.