The police watchdog has apologised to the family of Mark Duggan for “wrongly” telling the press he shot at police officers before he was killed.

Dame Anne Owers, the chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, met the family of Mr Duggan on Tuesday.

She discussed how the IPCC would investigate the new evidence given at the inquest into the death of the 29-year-old.

Rachel Cerfontyne, the IPCC deputy chairman, said: "I would like again to record my sincere apology to them that on the evening that Mark was fatally shot by a police officer a member of our staff wrongly led the media to believe that he had fired at police officers. I fully understand the damaging impact of this."

Mr Duggan was shot dead by an armed officer in Ferry Lane, Tottenham, in August 2, 2011.

His death sparked riots in Tottenham which later spread across the country.

Last week, the inquest jury ruled that Mr Duggan had been lawfully killed but said the police could have done more to respond to the intelligence available.

The IPCC told the family it would look into how "police responded to intelligence".

It also promised to interview some "key witnesses" who had previously declined to speak and those whose accounts were "inconsistent with other evidence".

The police watchdog will now interview officers involved in the incident and expected them to co-operate, "including answering questions at interview, something they have so far refused to do".

There are also plans to ban the practice under which officers are allowed to confer before making statements about police shootings and deaths in custody.  

The IPCC also said in future cases of a death involving police contact the IPCC will take control of the scene "at the earliest possible stage".

Ms Cerfontyne added: "Having assessed the evidence at inquest, there are initially a number of significant lines of enquiry which we are pursuing.

"These include following up concerns about the way the police responded to intelligence and seeking to interview some key witnesses who have so far declined to speak to or be interviewed by us or whose accounts are inconsistent with other evidence.

"We know that the family's confidence in us and our investigation was damaged by mistakes made in the early stages - both in relation to inaccurate information we provided to the media, and the initial management of the incident.”

The 29-year-old’s family reacted with fury to the verdict given on Wednesday, January 8, and called the ruling “perverse”.

Hundreds gathered outside Tottenham Police Station for a peaceful vigil to honour Mr Duggan’s life on Saturday.

His family and friends held a minute’s silence in his memory, before vowing to “continue fighting for answers” – they are expected to seek a judicial review against the inquest’s verdict.