A 21-year-old man was shot dead in a leafy west London street opposite exclusive mews where houses sell for £1million, as police launch a search for the gunman.
Police and ambulance crews were called to Comeragh Road in west Kensington just after 10pm last night.
The man was found with gunshot wounds and treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
A crime scene remains in place on the road this afternoon, as police said there have been no arrests amid their hunt for the killer.
Picturesque houses opposite the crime scene are listed on Rightmove as being sold for around £1million – with expansive airy rooms, large windows and some having terraces overlooking the quiet area.
The victim’s next of kin have been notified and are being supported by specialist officers and a post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course, the Met said.
Forensic officers searching bins in Comeragh Road, West Kensington, west London today
Forensic officers scour the scene for evidence at Comeragh Road today
The fatal shooting occurred in leafy west Kensington near Hammersmith
Forensic officers at the scene in Comeragh Road after a man was shot dead on Easter Monday
On Rightmove, the houses in the desirable area are listed as recently selling for between £900,000 (a two-bedroom in 2018) and £915,000 (a three-bedroom flat in 2022).
Residents in the upmarket West London suburb where former cabinet members reside have spoken of the distressing moments they watched the 21-year-old being given CPR from their balconies after he was fatally shot.
Most locals in the area of West Kensington said they didn’t hear a gunshot but saw emergency services gave the young man CPR for as long as half an hour after the shooting.
But he sadly died at the scene shortly before 11pm.
Comeragh Road, where the shooting took place, is a short walk from West Kensington underground station and a stone’s throw from Queen’s Tennis Club – one of the country’s most exclusive.
Stewart Budd, who lives on the road, said former Home Secretary Amber Rudd lives on an adjoining street.
Though the 59-year-old didn’t hear a gunshot at the time, he described watching ambulance staff give the shot man CPR for ‘half an hour’ before he died.
The father-of-six said: ‘The shooting was at 22:12. From what I can see from my Ring doorbell footage, you can hear a gunshot and lots of shouting.
‘And you see seven minutes later the police arrive and the whole road’s full of police.
‘Ambulances were parked outside my house, and there was a police helicopter and dogs and everything.
‘Everyone came out to see what had happened and the police shouted for us to get back inside.
‘We were all watching from our balconies. I could see them giving the guy CPR and then walking away when he was clearly dead.
‘They were working on him for a long time – about half an hour.’
A police officer at the scene in Comeragh Road, West Kensington, west London, today
A forensic officer searches the scene in west Kensington for evidence today
Police have cordoned off Comeragh Road in west Kensington after a 21-year-old man was fatally shot last night at around 10pm
A forensics team investigate the area which has been closed by police
Mr Budd claimed that despite the area being one of the more exclusive, there were plenty of ‘drug dealers’ around.
He said the house outside which the man was shot had been turned into a ‘crack den’, leading him to believe the dead man may have moved in that world.
‘There’s a crack house down the end of the road, two doors down from the house that was burned out. It’s been a crack house for ages.
‘They stand out and do all the deals on the corner. There’s lots and lots of drug dealers around here.
‘We have lots of social housing. You have people who own their properties next to people who were put there.
‘I’ve been here seven years now. I love it, it’s a great place to live.
‘But this has been going on as long as I’ve lived here, all the drug dealers.
‘There’s a neighbourhood watch group around here and they’ve been complaining that something like this could happen for ages. This is the culmination.’
Mr Budd added that his young daughter had been on her way home at the time of the shooting, and he told her to stay elsewhere.
‘My daughter wasn’t home last night,’ he said. ‘I wanted to call her because she was on her way home.
‘I was very worried. But I managed to tell her not to come back. A lot of people congregated at the pub.
‘I didn’t hear the gunshot, just the police. I heard the police watch the ring doorbell footage and say, ‘That’s the gunshot’.’
Comeragh Road, where the shooting took place, was filled with police officers this afternoon as forensics officers clad in blue overalls and face masks scoured the pavements for clues.
The stretch of road on which the shooting happened is cordoned off from at least four directions, whilst at least three adjoining roads are also closed off.
Residents are forced to sign in and out when they leave the cordon.
Detectives have been seen going in and out of a property at the far right end of Comeragh Road, near to Palliser Road – which is also cordoned off.
At around five o’clock, teams of forensics officers were seen slowly moving up the pavement on the left side of the road on all fours.
Officers search the detritus at the front of the house as police appeal for further information
Met Police officers are guarding the road where a man was fatally shot on Easter Monday
Teams of forensic officers working in the cordoned-off area on Comeragh Road
Police remain at the scene and have confirmed there have been no arrests as yet
Ivona, a grandmother who has lived on an adjoining street for over 40 years, said she’d never seen anything like this happen in the area before.
The Polish national said: ‘I was sleeping at the time and I didn’t hear anything.
‘I’ve got grandchildren in the area, so of course it’s very worrying.
‘I’ve been living here for 40 years – the area is really nice and generally quiet.
‘I think maybe things have got worse all across London recently.’
Heather, a young mother who also lives on an adjoining road, agreed that having a shooting nearby was scary.
She said: ‘It’s awful. It’s the first shooting I’ve heard of happening near here.’
Asked if there were any houses used as drug dens nearby, she added: ‘I know there used to be a crack den on Comeragh Road, but I didn’t think it was there anymore.
‘It has been boarded up for over a month. There were hundreds of people coming and going from there.’
Forensic officers comb through rubbish outside the house where the shooting took place
Neighbours say the area has become known for drug dealing recently and believe the shooting was related to dealing from the house
Police are appealing for any information from Monday night and have asked the public to contact them
Comeragh Road in leafy west Kensington, where houses sell for close to £1million
Another neighbour told GB News she heard a ‘loud gunshot’ at around 10.15pm and then saw crews of emergency services arriving 15 minutes later.
She said she heard someone screaming and believes the victim was badly hurt.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie leading the investigation said: ‘I am saddened to confirm that another young man has lost his life to violence on the streets of our capital.
‘This incident took place at a busy time of the evening when many people will have been going out, coming home or driving through Comeragh Road, Barton Road or Palliser Road.
‘I am keen to hear from anyone who was in the area in the half an hour period from 22:13hrs. Did you see a group of people or an altercation? Do you have dashcam footage?
‘Detectives are still in the area and I urge anyone with information to approach those officers direct or contact us by phone or online. If you can help please do speak to us.’
Chief Superintendent Jill Horsfall, responsible for policing in Hammersmith and Fulham said: ‘Our officers remain at the crime scene and additional patrols will be conducted in the area to provide reassurance to the community.
‘If you have concerns please do approach officers as they patrol or contact your neighbourhood policing team.
‘We thank you for your patience as our Specialist Crime colleagues continue their enquiries.’
Anyone who witnessed this incident or has information, but has not yet spoken with police, should call 101 or post on X @MetCC quoting 6709/1APR.
To remain 100 per cent anonymous call the independent charity crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13263555/man-shot-dead-London-police-gunman.html
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