Man shot dead at East Acton memorial service, Met launches murder inquiry

A 40-year-old man was fatally shot during a memorial service in East Acton, west London, on Friday evening. The Met Police have opened a murder investigation.

Murder inquiry opened after fatal shooting at London memorial gathering

A 40-year-old man was shot dead during a memorial service in East Acton, west London, on Friday evening, theguardian.com reports. The Metropolitan Police have launched a murder investigation into what officers described as a "senseless act of violence".

Officers were called at 7.47pm after reports of multiple gunshots near the junction of Braybrook Street and Erconwald Street. The London Ambulance Service attended alongside police, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Between 40 and 50 people, including children, had gathered for the memorial service when the shooting occurred, the Met said. The victim's family have been informed and are receiving support from specialist officers. A postmortem examination has been scheduled to establish the cause of death, though police believe the man sustained a gunshot wound.

Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, who is leading the investigation, said the attack had left a family devastated. "What should have been a time to come together in remembrance has instead left a family devastated," he said.

Howie appealed directly to witnesses, urging anyone present in the area between 6pm and 8pm to come forward. "Someone knows what happened and we need them to come forward," he said, adding that officers were keen to hear from anyone who had seen individuals carrying or concealing weapons, people on bicycles behaving suspiciously, or vehicles being driven at speed in the surrounding streets, which include Wormwood Scrubs playground.

The DCI also called for photographs, video, dashcam, doorbell camera, or mobile phone footage, as well as any relevant material spotted on social media.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)