Police had “no lawful justification” for shooting dead a mid-level career criminal when his car was stopped in Edgware in 2005, a public inquiry has found.

Azelle Rodney, 24, was killed almost instantly when he was struck by six bullets fired by a police marksman seconds after an unmarked car pulled up alongside the Volkswagen Golf in Hale Lane on April 30.

Police had carried out a “hard stop” on the vehicle, containing Mr Rodney and two others who officers believed were on their way to carry out an armed robbery.

The officer who fired the fatal shots, known only as E7, claimed he believed Mr Rodney was reaching for a gun.

But the report of the independent inquiry, published this morning, concluded the officer “could not have rationally believed” that Mr Rodney had picked up a firearm.

A wrapped handgun, later found to be incapable of firing, was found on the back seat of the vehicle, along with two other firearms in the foot well and glove box, though the location of the weapons at the time of the shooting was disputed during the inquiry.

Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "I have read the findings carefully and want to express my personal sympathy to Mr Rodney's family.

"The Met Police Service deeply regrets his death, and I recognise how distressing the inquiry must have been for them."

Lawyers for Mr Rodney's mother Susan Alexander claimed he was the victim of "naked, violent aggression" and was unlawfully killed.