KEY POINTS:
He was just 16, hunted down by a hooded gang on bicycles, left to bleed to death in the dark car park of an inner-city estate.
But the saddest thing about yesterday - as it emerged that yet another teenager had been shot and killed on the streets of London - was the lack of shock from residents of the Stockwell Gardens Estate.
Some noticed the commotion in the early hours of yesterday morning, believing it was fireworks. Others recognised the sound of gunfire.
One, who would only give his name as Tony, said he looked out to see a bunch of young men, their faces covered and their hooded tops up, cycle casually away.
On the floor he saw a shadow, not realising it was the body of a 16-year-old boy until the paramedics and police turned up.
In what is the 10th high profile case of a teenager killed in the capital this year, police launched a murder inquiry and appealed for witnesses.
"Initial reports suggest the victim was running away from a number of youths on bicycles prior to being shot," said Detective Inspector Geoff Whitehouse, from Scotland Yard.
The youngster ran on to the estate at around midnight pursued by youths on bicycles. One local said he saw him hide behind a tree but was trapped and shot.
Witnesses described seeing five to seven black youths, wearing bandannas around their faces and carrying two weapons, who later disappeared down an alleyway.
Scotland Yard said officers were called just after midnight to reports of shots being fired outside the flats. By the time they found the youngster, there was nothing that could be done; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Locals insisted such a disaster had been anticipated for some time. They spoke of the tension that had been building in the area, of fights between rival gangs and drug dealers who dominated the estate. Teenagers spoke of the rivalry between a local gang and others based in the Brixton, Herne Hill areas.
They talked of a fight which broke out between two rival packs on fireworks night. Another suggested the killing might be related to an argument at a Brixton fair recently.
"There is a problem in this area with a big group of teenagers who hang around outside and in the stairwell smoking and causing trouble. It's very intimidating and can be frightening. When I go shopping, I normally go with two or three people," said Francis Gonzalez.
"We heard two shots but thought it was kids playing around."
Mother-of-three Nasima Khatun said the police now had to be called almost every day.
"We are scared. We have told the council about it so many times but there's nothing they can do. I have got a 16-year-old son and I am very, very worried about him.
"He doesn't often go out as he's frightened to walk the streets around here," she explained.
Tony said tension on the estate had been building for the past five years with drug and gang-related problems on the rise. This year two men were seen carrying a double barrelled shot gun and handgun but disappeared before police arrived.
"It's an everyday thing to us. While it's sad and you send your condolences to the family who have lost an important member of the family, to the majority of people this has been expected. It was just a matter of time.
"They have got a name for this place, it's Hot Spot. If you want something like drugs you go to Hot Spot as the kids call it.
"I have a 16-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter and I am terrified for them. It's a frightening atmosphere for kids to grow up in."
This year the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir Ian Blair, launched a taskforce after a series of teenage deaths in south London. The trend emerging of teenagers involved in killings was "entirely unacceptable", he said.
- Independent
