Man Whose Death Sparked London Riots Was 'No Gangster,' Mom Says

LONDON – The mother of Mark Duggan, whose death was the catalyst for a wave of violence in London and across the U.K., insisted Tuesday that her son was "no gangster," and police were wrong to shoot him.

Duggan, a father of four, was shot dead by police Thursday evening during a pre-planned anti-firearms operation.

An inquest into his death opened Tuesday, and was adjourned until Dec. 12, Sky News reported.

The post-mortem showed Duggan died from one gunshot wound to the chest. The Independent Police Complaints Commission described the investigation as "complex," adding that the investigation would take four to six months.

Duggan was described by police sources as an important player in the criminal underworld, but this view was strongly rejected by friends and family, who have condemned the subsequent violence.

Violence flared Saturday in Tottenham, north London, after a peaceful march by Duggan's family, triggering a wave of lawlessness across the capital and in other cities.

"He would rather sit at home and play the PlayStation with his kids. He didn't carry no gun," Pamela Duggan told The Times of London at her home in Tottenham. "Mark was very into himself, very quiet. But he was definitely a family man."

Pamela Duggan said race may have been a factor in the death. "They [the police] killed my son. I'm not saying murder ... I don't know what it is. Apparently it was wrote [sic] somewhere that he was being watched ... He's black and you know what that means," she said.