A London jury has largely vindicated police in the fatal 2011 shooting in London that triggered some of the worst riots in British history, NBC News reported.
 

In a verdict announced Wednesday, jurors decided by an eight-to-two vote that a police sharpshooter’s killing of Mark Duggan was “lawful.”

The Aug. 4, 2011, slaying in North London’s Tottenham area was followed by four nights of rioting in British cities including London,Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham.Five people were killed, property losses totaled more than $300 million, and upwards of 3,000 people were arrested.
 

The key issue for the jury was whether Duggan had a weapon before he was shot to death, according to NBC.

Jurors concluded that he was not holding a gun right before he was shot, but that it was likely that he had been carrying one and threw it over a fence where it was found after his death.
 

A police officer testified that he spotted the suspect holding the weapon. The Duggan family’s lawyer challenged his testimony, and some have suggested that police planted the gun.

Police said they stopped Duggan on the basis of intelligence information that he had a gun and was involved in gang activity.

Duggan's family members denounced the jury verdict, claiming that it whitewashed the “murder” of an innocent man, ITV News reported.

Related Story: