Lawless London: Four men arrested on suspicion of murder after teenager shot dead in park

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenager was shot dead in a park last night.

The Metropolitan Police were called to the scene of the shooting in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park in Ladbroke Grove, West London, yesterday night at around 7.20pm.

Officers, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance all attended the scene.

Rene Graham, 15, was found suffering injuries and despite the best efforts of the emergency services he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives said there were “no reports of any other injuries” and that a crime scene remained in place on Sunday night.

The four men, two aged 21 and others aged 20 and 25, who were arrested on suspicion of murder remain in custody, police said.

Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, who is in charge of policing for Kensington and Chelsea, said: “A young boy has tragically lost his life and our thoughts remain with his family and friends at this devastating time. We will continue to provide them with specialist support.

“I understand that the public, especially those who live and work in the area, will be shocked and concerned by this incident.

“All of us at the Met share that concern and we are using all of the resources at our disposal to identify those involved.

“This investigation is at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive. It will take us some time to establish the facts and this will be our priority in the coming days.

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“We are keen to speak to other witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting.

“There was an event taking place and it’s possible people may have been taking photos or filming. Please check to see if you have captured anything that may help detectives.

“Residents can expect to see a significant police presence in this area. Officers are there to provide reassurance and support – please speak to them if you have concerns.

“Tragic incidents like this remind us why it is so important that we continue our unrelenting focus on suppressing violence and gun crime, and catching the offenders who endanger our communities.”

At the time of the attack, it is believed more than 1,000 people were attending the annual Park Lime event, organised by the Caribbean Music Association, which was billed as a “family fun day” featuring live music, games and face painting.

Youth worker Jediah Ali, who had planned to attend the event but changed his mind, was informed of the shooting by a friend who was in the park.

He said: “One friend described seeing a 15-year-old boy laying with his eyes just open and he’s quite traumatised by that.”

Mr Ali, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 15 years, said violence in the area is “not new”, adding: “I feel sad. I’ve got a heavy heart, but I’ve witnessed this time and time and time again, over and over.”

He continued: “The likelihood is that things of this nature are going to keep happening unless the root causes are discovered and treated.

“I don’t think anything’s really been done to tackle the root causes of youth violence in London.”