Teenager murdered in drive-by shooting

The victim, who is believed to be 18 or 19, was found with gunshot wounds by police in Brixton, south London, on Friday night, Scotland Yard said.

His death brings the number of teenagers murdered in London to 17 this year.

Police found the man, who has not yet been formally named, in Marcus Garvey Way, near Brixton underground station, after they were called to reports of shots being fired at about 10.10pm.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the victim was taken to hospital but died at about 11pm.

It is thought the youngster was part of a group of between 10 and 11 youths aged around 17 or 18, who were gathered in the small residential cul-de-sac when they were approached by another teenager on a motorbike.

The suspect, who is believed to be around 18 and was on a blue motorcycle or scooter and wearing a helmet, spoke to members of the group before producing a gun and firing towards them.

Marcus Garvey Way remains cordoned off today while officers from Operation Trident, which targets gun crime in the black community, conduct a forensic examination of the scene.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Detective Chief Inspector Adnan Qureshi said: "I would appeal to anyone who may have been in the vicinity of Marcus Garvey Way last night, or indeed members of the group who were with the victim at the time, to come forward.

"It may be that people who weren't present have subsequently been told what happened and it is vital they they share this information with us.

"This is a tragic loss of another young life, and I would urge members of the community to assist us in bringing the person responsible to justice."

The victim's next of kin have been informed and a post mortem examination will take place tomorrow. There have been no arrests.

Speaking at the scene Chief Inspector Qureshi said: "Last night at 11 minutes past 10 a group of 11 or 12 youths aged 18 or 19 were here talking, engaging with each other, when a motorbike arrived at the scene."

He said that the rider spoke to the youths before there was "an altercation of some description" and a series of shots were fired.

He confirmed that the victim, whose identify is still unknown, was a black 18 or 19-year-old man from the local vicinity.

He added: "There may have been some incident here prior to that that we are looking into."

Police are keeping an open mind as to the subject of the disagreement and say that they are not entirely clear about the motive at the moment.

They were unable to confirm whether an argument had broken out over a piece of jewellery.

Police are eager to track down the motorcyclist who is still armed and remove him from the local community.

They say it is vital that people contact them if they have any information which could help them take the individual off the streets.