London, Aug 10 (IANS): While a number of cities in Britain are engulfed in riots, looting and arson incidents over a cabbie's killing allegedly by police, the man's family has decided to sue Scotland Yard if he was not allowed to surrender before being shot dead.

Riots began in London's northern district of Tottenham after Mark Duggan was fatally shot down allegedly by police. It was initially believed he had fired first.

Duggan was tailed by the Yard's CO19 firearms unit after police decided to arrest him, believing he was involved in the drugs trade.

Duggan's fiancee Semone Wilson, 29, now has vowed to take court action. The mother of three spoke after it emerged a bullet in an officer's radio was police-issued ammunition, the Daily Express reported.

Wilson said she was told about last Thursday's events by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

"If it is true, trust me, the police are going to get it. We will be suing them because they effectively executed him," she said.

A CO19 officer is thought to have fired twice, killing Duggan with one bullet while the second bullet passed through his arm and into a colleague's radio.

But the marksmen have never claimed they were shot at. The officer who opened fire believed his colleagues were in mortal danger.

Scotland Yard have apologised for the way Duggan's family heard about his death and said it was due to a mix-up between police and IPCC family liaison officers.

Contrary to rumours in Tottenham, it is believed the gun he was carrying was capable of firing live bullets.