The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene after being gunned down as he tried to get into a car in Fulham at about 9.30pm on Monday night. A witness told how the man’s friend desperately tried to help him before shouting: “He’s gone, he’s gone.”
The victim had been dining at Caribbean restaurant Jerkys, whose regulars are said to include Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon.
Jorge Pardo, 30, a phone app developer who lives nearby, said: “I heard a noise like a firecracker. I looked out of the window and there were two guys running away in opposite directions. There were people in the road calling the police. The man’s friend was shouting his name and then screamed ‘He’s gone, he’s gone.’”
A murder investigation has been launched and police are seeking witnesses — including drivers and cyclists who may have camera footage. Detectives said the gunman had been lying in wait and struck as the victim got into the front passenger seat of a silver and black Renault Captur in Walham Grove, off North End Road.
Residents reported hearing a “loud bang” before the area “swarmed with police” and paramedics. A manager at Jerky’s told the Standard: “Two men came into the shop. They ordered, sat down, ate and enjoyed their meal before they left.
“I think it was their first time here, I’ve never seen them before, but everything was calm and cool. No one was fighting. They’d just left and crossed the road when I heard a loud bang.
“We didn’t see what happened. We just saw a car on the other side of the road. The car door was open and he was shot. It’s very sad.”
A resident said: “There was a really loud bang and we thought it was a car backfiring.
“We didn’t think for a minute it was a gunshot. I have been here for four years, it’s a beautiful road with nice people, it’s a total shock.”
Another neighbour added: “There was a strange bang, I looked out of the window and saw a group of guys in the street near a car. It was like something out of a gangster movie. I took cover because I didn’t know if the incident had finished. It’s very frightening for us.”
Next of kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination is due to take place. There have been no arrests. Detective chief inspector Noel McHugh said: “It would appear the murderer had been waiting in the street in Walham Grove for a while for the friends to return to their car. Did you see someone hanging around from about 8.30pm up until the time of the murder?”
