Detectives offer £20,000 reward to find killer who gunned down 18-year-old at rave as they issue footage of murderer’s car
- Alex Ajanaku., 18, was killed after being shot outside a rave in Leyton, in London
- The teen was killed as he sat with friends outside at 1.35am on September 1, 2021
- Police have released CCTV of a Kia Sportage they believe was used in the killing
- The Met is offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to a prosecution
Detectives have offered a £20,000 reward to find the killer of an 18-year-old who was gunned down at a rave.
The Metropolitan Police has released footage of the car thought to have been used in the shooting of Alex Ajanaku in Beaumont Road, Leyton, in the early hours of September 1, last year.
The teenager had been sitting on a bench with friends outside the illegal rave at around 1.25am when shots were fired at them.
Alex, who was from south London, was hit and despite the best efforts of police and medics, died at the scene.
A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder a day later, but was granted bail and subsequently released with no further action taken against him.
Police investigating his death now say they believe a black Kia Sportage was used by those behind the killing and have released CCTV of the vehicle.
Alex Ajanaku was killed after being shot outside an illegal rave in Leyton on September 1, last year. He is pictured here in a family handout that was released after his death
Detectives investigating his death have released CCTV footage of a black Kia Sportage they believe was used in his killing. Pictured is a still from the video police have released
It shows the car being driven through Leyton, near the Beaumont Estate where Alex was killed, shortly before his death.
The Kia had been stolen from Chingford shortly before midnight on Monday, August 16, and was found abandoned and fire damaged in Walthamstow on September 3, two days after the shooting.
Detective Sergeant Fenton Davis, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘We are releasing a short clip of the Sportage and are appealing for information about where it was in the days leading up to, and immediately following, the murder.
‘We believe the car has links to Leyton, Walthamstow and Upper Clapton.
‘Alex was just 18 when he was murdered. His life was brutally ended before it had really begun, leaving his family devastated and desperate for answers.
The car, which can be seen facing the camera on this image, had been stolen from Chingford in the weeks before the killing
Police say the vehicle, pictured here turning into a side street, was found abandoned and with fire damage in Walthamstow two days after the shooting
CCTV footage shows the black Kia Sportage driving through Letyon near the Beaumont Estate shortly before the killing
‘There are people out there who know who was responsible for Alex’s death and also know important information about the use and subsequent damage to the stolen Kia. I urge those people to come forward and provide the information to police.’
Alex’s death was one of 12 fatal shootings and 134 murders in the capital last year – 30 of those killed were teenagers.
Last week, Sadiq Khan suggested a spate of violent crime in the capital this year was due to longer days, school holidays and summer heatwaves.
The mayor was speaking after six homicides had been reported in the capital in less than a week, including the stabbing of 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran in Greenford, west London, last Tuesday.
Alex Ajanaku, pictured here in a handout photo issued by the police on behalf of his family, was one of 30 teenagers killed in the capital last year
On Saturday last week, 25-year-old Kacey Boothe was shot in Walthamstow, north London, and the next day Stephen Goodman, 60 was found dead in Dagenham, east London.
The following day, Sonny Booty, 36, was found dead in a residential property in Lewisham.
Last Monday saw the fatal stabbing of Li Sung, 58, just off Oxford Street, central London, and Aziza Bennis, 58, in Ealing, west London.
Across six days in July there were three separate fatal shootings in the English capital.
Up until July 19, there had been no firearms killings in London since October 31 last year.
Earlier this year, in April, the force said it had seen a reduction in gun crime, with the number of all shootings, including fatal and non-fatal, down from from 283 in 2019/20 to 196 in 2021/22.
Anyone with information about Alex Ajanaku’s death or the Kia Sportage in the video should call the Metropolitan Police incident room directly on 020 8345 3775 or the general police non-emergency number 101. They can also tweet @MetCC.
To remain 100 per cent anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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