Police officers at the scene of the shooting this morning (August 5). Picture: Tony Gay

An armed police officer shot dead a man after stopping a mini-cab to carry out an arrest in Tottenham, it has been revealed.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed officers from Trident - the Metropolitan Police unit dealing with gun crime in London’s black community - accompanied by specialist firearms officers stopped the cab in Ferry Lane yesterday evening (August 4).

Shots were fired and the 29-year-old man, named locally as Mark Duggan from Tottenham, who was a passenger in the cab died at the scene.

An armed policeman was also shot but was reportedly saved by his radio when the bullet hit the device.

The attempted arrest was part of a pre-planned operation by Trident, the IPCC said.

A spokesman said: “It is believed that two shots were fired by a firearms officer, equipped with a Heckler & Kock MP5 carbine.

“A non-police issue handgun was recovered at the scene. An officer’s radio, which appears to have a bullet lodged in it, has also been recovered.

“Both the radio and the handgun are being sent for forensic tests. The exact sequence of events is subject to the IPCC investigation.”

The policeman was taken to hospital as a precaution and has since been discharged.

The IPCC has set up an independent investigation and is trawling for relevant CCTV footage of the shooting.

Rachel Cerfontyne, IPCC commissioner, said: “Fatal shootings by the police are extremely rare and understandably raise significant community concerns.

“I will make certain that this investigation is thorough and answers the many questions that everyone has when such an incident occurs.

“I fully recognise how distressing and disturbing this must be for the family and the local community.

“Obviously our investigation is at a very early stage, but I will publish further information and any findings as soon as possible.

“We were able to send our own investigators to the scene very quickly yesterday, which meant that the IPCC took control of the investigation promptly.

“Any witnesses to what happened will make a vital contribution to our evidence gathering, so I would urge anyone who saw the incident to contact us as a matter of urgency.”

Anyone with information can contact the IPCC in confidence on 0800 096 9079 or email ferrylaneshooting@ipcc.gov.uk