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Murdered shop worker was innocent victim of gang feud
07.10.09
A murdered shop worker was an innocent victim caught up in an escalating gang war on the streets of London, his heartbroken family said today.
Cem Duzgun, 21, died in a hail of bullets after going to play snooker with friends in Clapton, east London, on Monday night.
Detectives are examining possible links to the murder three days earlier of a prominent Turkish gangster, Oktay Erbasli.
It is feared that either or both killings are part of a violent feud between rival druglords over the control of heroin supplies in the capital.
But Mr Duzgun's family paid tribute to him today and said he was a “good boy” who was not involved in gangs or drugs. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, they said.
His sister Reyhan, 23, who is studying for a masters degree in management, said at the family home in Clerkenwell today: “We are heartbroken. This should never have happened to Cem.
“He was a good boy who did not deserve this. He did not do anything wrong.
“All we know is he went to play snooker and shots were fired, but there is no reason for anyone to kill my brother.
“People have said it is about drug dealers, but Cem was not involved in any gang.
“He had a large family and lots of close friends. Everyone loved him. We have been crying our eyes out since we heard he is gone.”
Mr Duzgun, who worked in a clothes shop in Croydon, had a brother and two sisters.
Dozens of friends and family from Turkey and all over Europe have visited to console the victim's parents, who were were too upset to comment.
It is believed Mr Duzgun had gone to a social club to meet friends after work when he was shot in Upper Clapton Road at 10.50pm on Monday.
Shocked eye-witnesses reported hearing “rapid semi-automatic gunfire” before a hooded man was seen sprinting from the area.
A third suspect was arrested last night and was today being questioned over the murder along with two men aged in their mid 20s who were arrested near the murder scene.
It came three days after businessman Mr Erbasil, 23, was gunned down in his Range Rover in Tottenham. His girlfriend and five-year-old stepson were in the car when a gunman on a motorbike pulled alongside and opened fire.
Police say there have been a string of shootings in recent months which are linked to two gangs, the Bombacilar and the Tottenham Boys.
Detectives are also looking at links to the murder of father of three Ahmet Paytak, 50, was shot in the stomach by a gunman who had jumped off the back off a motorbike at the Euro Wine and Food shop in Holloway in March this year.
Turkish gangs based in north London control the vast majority of the heroin smuggled into Britain.
Three years ago Abdullah Baybasin, the head of the Bombacilar gang, was jailed for 22 years for plotting to supply the drug.
Since his arrest a new figure has taken over control of the gang amid clashes with rival groups.
Anyone with information on the latest killing should call 0300 123 1212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Reader views (18)
I am so happy I live in such a small minded, bigoted, racist country!!!! Check the crime rate for "white" crime and then you will see ethnic crime is not even 10% of the total rate!! Because crimes committed by “whites” are so prominent it is not publicised, however any ethnic crime it is blown up by the media. Without immigrants this country would not survive, you would not eat all the different foods (curry, Chinese, Turkish, Spanish, Italian etc!!!!), music and who would do all the jobs the lazy "Caucasian" people can’t be bothered to do?!!! Finish like I started how happy I am to live in such a supposedly multi-cultural country!
- F, london
Agree with Teg. What's changed is that you never had so many young children and teenagers on big London estates dope dealing. Mostly they're kids who reject and underachieve at school. They dont't have much family life usually without fathers at home. This is the first generation of young kids out dealing on the streets. All the life they know. London crime has gone from underground to on the streets.
- Jose, London
Sue R "Believe me, this never used to happen, not even ten years ago."
Oh really? Just a quick look on google will bring up plenty of evidence to the contry, such as-
The Observer- Sunday December 31, 2000
"Gun crime in Britain is soaring to record levels: executions, woundings and related incidents in the past year are set to be the highest ever"
Clapton earned the reputation of murder mile around 2000/ 2001 after several high profile gang shootings. Maybe try and comment about something you know about next time.
- Nj, London
When my dad was young everyone was worried about gangs with cut-throat razors and flick knives. When I was a teenager it was stanley knives. Now my kids tell stories of boys with kitchen knives. Technology changes. There's always some folk devil to get worked up about, it's always young people out of control and it was always better before in the good old days.
The old days were only good if you weren't driving a mail train or having your teeth pulled out by Frankie Fraser or if you weren't being nailed to the floor by the Richardsons. You only have to look at police-killer Kenneth Noye's criminal career or read some of Dave Courtney's "adventures" to know how many innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire by home-grown gangsters in the good old days. Clapton's "Murder Mile" got that nickname 10 years ago, not last week - and it was certainly far worse down the Lower Clapton Road back in 2001 than it is now.
People keep repeating these terrible lies about "foreigners" as if immigration hasn't always been part of London life. Immigration has made London one of the most amazing cities in the world. This obsession with foreign criminals is just a bogeyman to wheel out your nasty racist views. You can keep repeating this stuff, but it doesn't make it true. Finding someone else to blame for the problems we all face - some faceless foreigner - is no solution to any of them.
- Nolan, Londonist
Immigrant gang crime is taking over the streets of London and now innocent members of the public are being caught up in this. This is down to years of uncontrolled immigration into the UK.
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
You always have to find the slightest excuse to pedal your racist, bigoted venom don't you, Diggler?
- Nowan King, London
Another day another death, do I care 'No' as long as its the guilty and not the innocent. Guilty meaning anyone involed in knife and gun crime, please kill more of this scum and let our streets belong to us again,,,,,,, sorry couldcuckoo land again.
- Dec, London
The crack, heroin and drug distributers have got greedy and sloppy. Drugs has got so widespread in London that the drug dealers get kids to hang onto their stash of drugs for them when they're out on the streets dealing. From cell phone deals they can get the kids on their bikes to deliver them. The law is that kids under 10 never get stopped or searched by police. It freezes your blood that they get kids hooked and involved in the drugs gang life so early. What's happening? We had women being kidnapped and trafficked over here for prostitution. Now we've got young kids out on the streets running drugs.
- Teg, London
They're all innocent. The jails are full of innocent men. Nolan: Believe me, this never used to happen, not even ten years ago. What's changed? Drugs and guns. Accept it. This country is going the way of Turkey, Egypt, America etc.
- Sue R, London
Immigrant gang crime is taking over the streets of London and now innocent members of the public are being caught up in this. This is down to years of uncontrolled immigration into the UK.
- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London
Nolan, if you'd actually teaken the extra 30 seconds to read the article properly, it's a different guy:
"It came three days after businessman Mr Erbasil, 23, was gunned down in his Range Rover in Tottenham. His girlfriend and five-year-old stepson were in the car when a gunman on a motorbike pulled alongside and opened fire."
Or did you not read that article properly either?
- Bob, Cheam
I see good old nolan Londonist every social parasites best friend, is on his soapbox wringing his hands again as usual.
Of course the family are going to say he was innocent, lets just wait to see how the investigations develop shall we?
- P Staker, Londonistan.
London's escalation in gun and knife crime is a feature of life among some sons of immigrants in London. We frequently hear reports of the lucrative heroin trade by the Turkish gangs in North London and who are the biggest heroin traffickers and have big distribution networks. Some communities cultures keeps business in the family, no matter how dirty the business is. Guns arrived in a big way with criminals and refugees from the Bosnian/Serb/Albanian/Croatian troubles in the mid nineties. Those and the adapting here of guns made them prolific and very easily available to anyone.
London gangs did carry out armed robberies but a shooting was always very big news indeed. Shootings were nowhere near todays high figures. Those were criminal gangs who were smart enough to not bring trouble on their heads unnecessarily. Too professional to go in for street shootings just for thrills, bravado or stupidity. The law cracked down very heavily then on anyone involved in "shooter" crimes. Never has there been so much casual gun and knife crime on the London streets by just kids and youth gangs. One of the latest police reports reveals the difficulties they face in their crackdown on gun crime. The small-fry in the youth gangs are given the guns to hold. Girlfriends as young as fourteen also hold the guns for them. It's a first for London that teenagers and children are holding and hiding guns in their parents homes.
- Steve, London
When in doubt attack the person, not the idea. Is that how it works Ed?
- Nolan, Londonist
Nolan for someone who 'helps' the troubled and disadavantahed of Hackney, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands. You must be doing a real great job because allday, everyday your kneejerk crusading missions to represent any 'underdog' cause seems to take place here online.
- Ed, London
"What is indisputable is that the foreign gangs have brought real gangsterism to London's streets in the last decade." That is totally disputable! Criminal gangs have always had access to guns, armed robberies were actually much more widespread in the 70's than they are now. Most of the quartermasters that provide guns to gangs are "home-grown" criminals. It's ridiculous to keep blaming "foreigners" and "immigrants" for all our problems or to hark back to some fantasy that "London gangs never settled their differences on the streets". It's just not true.
- Nolan, Londonist
EDITED by admin @ 11.58 on Ocotober 7 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- Squiz, Islington
What is indisputable is that the foreign gangs have brought real gangsterism to London's streets in the last decade. Guns never have been part of the London gang culture until recently. Guns are bought and owned by even teenagers now. London gangs never settled their differences on the streets. Now there is a lawlessness on our streets, driveby shootings and the like, that can be described as incredible. As in this case, the innocent of any and every nationality get caught in the crossfire.
- Naomi, London
I wonder if all those expressing joy at this death yesterday might feel a little bit shameful today? Or is that too much to expect?
- Nolan, Londonist
