Grandmother pleads for information a year after shooting of toddler in London
4 June 2021, 12:15
Grandmother of toddler injured in London moped shooting calls for shooter to be removed from the streets
The grandmother of a toddler who was shot in north west London has pleaded for people to come forward with information one year on from the shooting.
Police are hunting a gunman who is believed to have left the scene on a moped, and officers are offering a £20,000 reward for any information that will help lead to his arrest.
The toddler was left seriously injured after the incident on 3 June 2020, which saw him rushed to hospital in critical condition. Doctors told the toddler's family that the bullet missed a crucial artery by just 1mm.
Shortly before 9.45pm, police had responded to reports of the shooting in Energen Close in Harlesden, NW10.
Four people - the boy, his mother and two teenage males - were shot and taken to hospital to be treated.
Detectives investigating the incident believe the man carrying a hand gun fired a shot at one of the teenage males and then fired into a car containing the boy, his mother and the other teenage male.
The boy's mother was hit multiple times and sustained serious injuries, but the two other children were unharmed.
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Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson from Specialist Crime North, who is leading the investigation, said: "This was an absolutely horrific attack that left an innocent little boy fighting for his life. It is only by chance that there were no fatalities.
"I am hoping that now that a year has passed, people who didn’t feel able to come forward at the time of shooting may feel that they are now ready to break the wall of silence and offer us their assistance.
"We are urgently seeking help from anyone who may have information about this crime and would like to remind members of the public that we are offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrests and conviction of anyone responsible for the attack.
"There is a good chance that a number of people in the community know what happened on the day and more importantly, know who is responsible.
"I would ask people to consider the impact this would have on them if it was a member of their own family that was injured.
"Somebody out there picked up a firearm and heartlessly fired multiple shots at a mother holding her young son.
"The injuries and the psychological trauma that has been caused to the victims and to the two children that witnessed the incident will continue to have long-lasting implications.
"We must identify this dangerous individual and I believe that members of the public can help us do just that."
The grandmother of the child, Lillian Serunkuma, said: "It is really important that people understand the significance of this and that the tiniest bit of information could help the police.
"Information you provide could well be the missing piece of the jigsaw that my family has been praying for.
"The community must recognise that there is a huge reward on offer to anyone that provides information which leads to the conviction of those responsible for this awful crime.
"If you do not feel comfortable speaking to the police, information can be also be shared anonymously with Crimestoppers.
"We are very thankful for the support we have received over the last year but would now like to emphasise the urgent need to identify those responsible.
"My daughter and my grandson have been lucky to come out on the other side but this incident could have ended very differently. This could have easily been a double, triple, or even a quadruple murder investigation.
“From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful to anyone who has the courage to come forward and do the right thing.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call police on 101, providing the reference CAD 8326/03JUN20 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
