Azelle Rodney's family left an inquiry into his death as photographs were shown of the car he was shot dead in.

Mr Rodney, 24, was killed “instantly” when Met officers carried out a “hard stop” on a VW Golf in Hale Lane, Edgware, on April 30, 2005.

His family left the courtroom, in the High Court Principal Registry of the Family Division, yesterday as distressing photographs were shown of the car after the shooting.

Mr Underwood, lead counsel for the inquiry, paid tribute to the 24-year-old's mother Susan Alexander for her “reasonable and positive approach” to the arrangements put in place for the inquiry.

“If I may say so, she has behaved in the long period since her son’s death with dignity and restraint,” he said.

Parts of documents that reveal how intelligence was obtained will be blacked out and witnesses including the officer who fired the fatal shots and a number of intelligence officers will be given anonymity.

A video reconstruction of what E7 would have seen during the hard stop and shooting was shown, including an actor who was used to try to simulate Mr Rodney's movements.

Mr Underwood said that conflicting accounts of what happened will be given to the hearing, and Sir Christopher Holland, who is overseeing the inquiry, will have to decide “whether the contradictions are innocent or otherwise”.

Explaining the background of the case, he told the hearing that in early April 2005 the then Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise (HMCE) got intelligence about an armed gang that robbed drug dealers.

They would set up a meeting to view Class A drugs and then steal them at gunpoint.
HMCE believed that one of the men in the gang was called “Azelle” and had the same day and month of birth as Mr Rodney.

They learned that the gang had a plan to rob some Colombian drug dealers in Edgware on April 5 and told the police, but the heist did not go ahead.

The investigators again thought it was imminent on April 28 and so told police.

The inquiry continues.