Pictured: Drill rapper shot dead by ‘bike-riding’ gunmen who opened fire outside Ilford ‘drugs den’ leaving two men dead and another fighting for life – cops hunt killers on loose after midnight massacre
- Two men were found dead after a fatal drive-by shooting in Ilford, East London on Tuesday morning
- Three men, two in their 20s and one in his 30s, found with gunshot wounds after armed officers race to scene
- Neighbours said fireworks from Diwali festival were used to mask the gunshots after a group were fired upon
- The Metropolitan Police say no arrests have yet been made as officers remain at the crime scene today
This is the first picture of the popular ‘drill rapper’ shot dead by rivals as horrifying gang violence spilled out onto the streets of an East London suburb amid the Diwali celebrations late last night.
Police confirmed one man, a musician of Somali heritage known by his street name ‘Giddy’ and who boasted of killing members of a rival gang, was found dead inside a property in Henley Road, Ilford at midnight on Tuesday.
Music videos shared by the rapper on his social media pages and across YouTube detail ferocious attacks on members of Manor Park – a separate Newham-based gang that has been embroiled in turf wars for many years.
Armed officers and paramedics raced to the scene of the triple shooting inside a Victorian terraced property on Henley Road, Ilford at around 12.16am on Tuesday.
Emergency service staff warned of an ensuing street brawl between a group where shots were fired. Three men, two in their 20s and one in his 30s, were discovered inside a property with gunshot wounds.
Neighbours told MailOnline that the sound of nearby Diwali fireworks masked the noise of gunshots at the suspected ‘drugs den’. But one eyewitness claims they saw cars approach the property before firing on the trio.
An Ilford resident, who did not want to be named, said he was told the shooting happened after an Ilford gang posted a drill video about killing members of a rival Manor Park group.
He said ‘Only Manor’ – a nickname for the Manor Park gang – had claimed responsibility for the the murders on social media, with the OM hashtag being posted on freestyles recorded by Giddy on YouTube.
Several local residents said the attack at a suspected ‘trap house’ was intentionally orchestrated to happen on Diwali as fireworks would mask the gunshots.
The area has been increasingly plagued by crime.
Just under two miles from today’s murder scene a Somali teenage boy was stabbed to death outside Little Ilford Lane Youth Centre shortly after finishing his mock GCSE exams ten days ago.
A chicken shop close to the scene of today’s murder was closed down after a young boy was attacked.
One neighbour said: ‘Someone told me they made drill videos talking about these Manor Park people they were going to kill, there’s always beef between the Ilford and Manor Park people.
‘There was another murder here recently.
‘Just think about it: you’ve got Diwali and the fireworks going off, so you can’t even hear the shooting. Plus, it was inside the house anyway.’
Another resident told the Telegraph how they had spotted a man wearing a ‘black Joker-style mask’ running through nearby gardens shortly after the shocking attack.
Uniformed officers today sealed off parts of the residential area, which is dotted with nearby parks and homes costing more than £500,000, while forensic teams comb through the crime scene.
Tuesday’s fatal attack marked the fifth killing within a ten-mile area of east London in the past week alone, and is the latest grisly attack to rock the capital’s communities.
Police confirmed one man, a musician of Somali heritage known by his street name ‘Giddy’ (pictured) and who boasted of killing members of a rival gang, was found dead inside a property in Henley Road, Ilford at midnight on Tuesday
An Ilford resident, who did not want to be named, said he was told the shooting happened after an Ilford gang posted a drill video about killing members of a rival Manor Park group. Pictured: Drill rapper Giddy
Armed officers and paramedics rushed to the scene of the triple shooting in Henley Road, Ilford at around 12.16am on Tuesday morning
Uniformed officers today sealed off parts of the residential area, which is dotted with nearby parks and homes costing more than £500,000, while forensic teams comb through the crime scene
Metropolitan Police Inspector Dave Holgate addresses the media after the triple shooting in Ilford, east London
A Met police officer stands guard outside a property as detectives launched a murder probe following the triple shooting
Inspector Dave Holgate of the Met Police, addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon and said: ‘Tragically two men lost their lives this morning and another was seriously injured after an appalling act of violence here in Ilford.
‘We were called at 12.16am to reports of a fight and shots fired right here on Henley Road.
‘Inside the address officers found three men with gunshot wounds, two of whom have sadly died. The third remains in hospital with critical injuries.
‘Inquiries are ongoing to notify all next of kin and our thoughts are very much with their families today.
‘While I cannot discuss the details of the officers’ homicide investigation, I can confirm at their stage no arrests have been made.
‘There are a number of crime scenes in place and we thank local residents for their understanding and cooperation while our specialist and forensics teams do their job.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police added that officers now know the identity of the man in his 20s and work is ongoing to identify the other man killed in the shooting.
Terrified residents recalled the apparent gang warfare that rocked their community late last night. According to locals, a man in a mask – which one witness described as having a Joker from Batman face – had been seen running from the scene shortly after the shooting.
Alex Raducu, 33, who has lived in the Henley Road area for five years and works as a courier said he initially thought the shots were fireworks.
He said: ‘I thought it just was fireworks…It was crazy, I then heard a helicopter flying around above me. It was there for 10 or 15 minutes.’
According to locals the area has been increasingly blighted by violent crime in recent times.
Just under two miles from today’s murder scene a Somali teenage boy was stabbed to death outside Little Ilford Lane Youth Centre shortly after finishing his mock GCSE exams ten days ago.
And a chicken shop close to the scene of today’s murder was temporarily shut after a young boy was attacked.
Another resident, Kashif Patel, who was stabbed in the area eight years ago, warned that gun use in Henley Road was not uncommon.
He told Sky News: ‘I don’t feel like it’s a good place to raise a family… If I was thinking about my mum or sisters, I wouldn’t want them living in this area, it’s not safe.’
Samima Ahmad, 50, who lives alone on Henley Road, added of last night’s incident: ‘I heard everything, I was shaken by the screams and shouting around 12.15am.
‘There was bunch of youngsters running around, it was a gang of people. After about an hour there was an ambulance, helicopters and police, it was very frightening.
‘The shots were obscured by the fireworks, it was about 10 doors down [from where I live].’
Anyone with dashcam, video doorbell or private CCTV footage of the initial fight are encouraged to get in touch as police probe the fatal shooting.
Homicide offences in the Met Police’s London boroughs sit at 88 this year, compared with the 109 between January and October 2021. In 2021 there were more than 130 recorded homicides in the Met’s area.
Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council, called for more police as he spoke to reporters at the scene.
He said: ‘I think more police across the whole of the capital, these are numbers that have been cut over successive governments, we have to make sure we get the police here.
According to locals the Henley Road area has been increasingly blighted by violent crime and ‘gang warfare’ in recent times
Tuesday’s fatal attack marked the fifth killing within a ten-mile area of east London in the past week alone, and is the latest grisly attack to rock the capital’s communities
Pictured: Met Police officers guard the entrance to Henley Road in Ilford, east London following the fatal drive-by shooting
Forensics officers are pictured at the shooting scene after three men were shot in a suspected drive-by gang attack
‘We have been complaining about this in my role as London Councils lead on crime and community safety, I made that plea to the new Metropolitan Police commissioner only last week and he agrees that we need more police.’
He added: ‘I think sometimes these things build up over time and that’s where the police is needed to stop that building up over time and I think if we could get that we would be in a better place.’
Sam Tarry, Labour MP for Ilford South, tweeted today: ‘Utterly shocking; my heart goes out to the family of those killed.
‘This is yet the latest in a recent wave of violence in our community; not nearly enough is being done to combat violent crime and protect my constituents.
‘I will be having urgent conversations with the MET.’
A spokesman for London Ambulance Service added: ‘We were called at 12.12am today to reports of a shooting on Henley Road, Ilford.
‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including two ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, a medic in a fast response car, two incident response officers, a clinical team leader and members of our tactical response unit.
‘We also dispatched a trauma team from London’s Air Ambulance which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in a car.
‘We treated three people at the scene and took one person to a major trauma centre. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, two people were pronounced dead at the scene.’
Elsewhere in London, a police manhunt continues for a Stratford knifeman who stabbed one woman to death and seriously injured another at a home on Sunday.
And a man in his 30s was recovering after a separate knife attack in Croydon, south London on Monday evening.
Detective Inspector Matt Read, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘This was a tragic incident that resulted in two men losing their lives and a third man being critically injured. We are in contact with their families and will support them as they come to terms with this awful news.
‘We are still in the early stages of the investigation and are working to establish exactly what happened. A number of crime scenes will remain in place while we carry out these urgent enquiries. I believe there was a number of people at the house in Henley Road at the time of the shooting and I would encourage them to come forward as a matter of urgency.
‘We wilI not tolerate such violence on the streets of London and we are working round the clock to catch those responsible. I understand there will be significant concern in the community and an increased number of local officers will be in the area over the coming days to listen to any concerns.’
Anyone with information that can help the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 99/25Oct. To remain anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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