Shocking police video shows moment man was shot twice in busy Soho street

27 January 2022, 14:52

2019 footage sees gunshots fired on busy street in Soho

This is the moment terrified bystanders fled for their lives after a shooting outside a Soho nightclub.

Police released footage of the street shooting in central London in 2019, in an attack police say the victim was "lucky to survive".

In the footage released by the Metropolitan Police, 37-year-old Sheldon Pommell and 39-year-old Richard Palmer can be seen leaning into a car after a fight that began in a nightclub in which someone was stabbed spilled out onto the street.

Pommell passed an object to Palmer, who put it in his bag, before Pommell pointed to the unsuspecting victim, aged in his 20s, and said words of encouragement to Palmer.

Palmer could then be seen running after the victim, drawing the firearm from his bag as he got closer - prompting screams and shouts from onlookers.

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When Palmer caught up with the victim he shot him twice in the back.

He then ran back to his car - a Jaguar - and he and Pommell drove off just before 3.20am.

The victim self-presented at a London hospital minutes later.

He suffered damage to his internal organs but his injuries were not life-threatening.

The stab victim from the nightclub fight also suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was treated in hospital.

The attack happened on Rupert Street, Soho, on August 25 2019.

On Wednesday Pommell, of Park Avenue, Ruislip, was sentenced to 26 years imprisonment after being found guilty of attempted murder at Woolwich Crown Court on November 4 2021.

The 37-year-old was originally tried alongside three other defendants - including Palmer - on 11 January 2021, but the jury was unable to return a unanimous verdict on the attempted murder charge, resulting in a retrial in the autumn.

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Palmer, of Gurnell Grove, Ealing, was sentenced on April 14 2021 to 15 years and six months.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and transferring a prohibited firearm. He was found not guilty of another count of transferring a prohibited firearm following a trial.

Also sentenced on April 14 2021 were 43-year-old Bolanle Roberts of Balfour Road, Ealing, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and 34-year-old Robert Dolan of Sutton Court Road, Hounslow, who was sentenced for 12 years and six months in prison.

Roberts was found guilty of four counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life. He previously pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to transferring a prohibited firearm, five counts of possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of unlicensed ammunition, five counts of possession of a prohibited firearm for transfer, two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property.

He was found not guilty of another count of transferring a prohibited firearm in relation to providing Palmer with the Beretta used in the attempted murder.

Dolan pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to assisting an offender, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property.

Detective Sergeant Chris Ladmore, the investigating officer from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "The men behind this violent incident have now received a combined 69-year jail sentence for their crimes.

"This operation started off as an attempted murder investigation, but led to us discovering a cache of loaded firearms and a wealth of ammunition that we were able to remove from the streets of London. Every bullet seized is a potential life saved.

"The victim who was shot on Rupert Street was lucky to survive – it easily could have had a different ending. The shooting is a stark reminder of the selfish disregard for human life and brazen use of firearms that people like Pommell, Palmer and Roberts hold.

"Tackling violence remains our top priority and restricting the availability of firearms is critical to protecting communities. Firearms have no place in London and this seizure has inevitably prevented further violence. We will continue to robustly target both those who carry firearms and those who supply them."