Drill rappers guilty of murdering teen in gang row

Two teenage drill rappers have been found guilty of shooting dead an 18-year-old man in Enfield, north London after a gang dispute on social media.

On 26 June last year, Emmanuel Popoola, 18, shot Keanu Harker in the head and chest after chasing him on the back of a high-powered electric bike ridden by his co-defendant Tayvon Etefia, 18.

On Monday, Popoola and Etefia, both from Enfield, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life. They will be sentenced later this week.

Following the verdicts, Harker's family said they hoped the killing would "open people's eyes to how damaging gang culture has become for young people".

The killing resulted from a rivalry between two Enfield gangs, the 3×3 gang, and the Get Money Gang (GMG), the court heard.

Harker's murder followed a row on Snapchat in which comments were made implying that Popoola did not have the money to buy data for his mobile phone, the Old Bailey was told.

Afterwards, gang members bragged about the murder in drill rap videos, jurors were told.

Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told jurors how the defendants had caught up with Harker, who was also riding a bike.

As they rode alongside the victim, Popoola fired three shots at him from a short distance.

"Keanu Harker immediately fell off his bicycle on to the road. He was fatally injured but somehow managed to crawl a short distance into the front garden of a residential address just off the Great Cambridge Road.

"Emmanuel Popoola and Tayvon did not stop. They continued to make good their escape," the prosecutor said.

After the shooting, the pair fled the scene, dumped the e-bike and discarded their clothes, the court heard.

The pair were then collected in a car driven by fellow drill rapper Eliezer Mbaki, 25, and a youth recovered the e-bike.

The two killers then attempted to flee to France by train, jurors were told.

Within days after the shooting, Popoola boarded a one-way Eurostar service from London St Pancras to Paris with the help of his girlfriend Anais King, 19.

Etefia booked his own ticket but was tracked by police, who boarded the train and arrested him two minutes before it due to depart.

After Popoola reached the French capital police focused their attention on his girlfriend, who planned to join him.

Detectives tracked her journey to Paris and French police followed her to Popoola's apartment and arrested him.

Popoola was later extradited from France to London and King was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Giving evidence, Popoola denied being involved in the shooting.

Jurors, who deliberated for a week, also convicted Mbaki, from Tottenham, King, from Enfield, and a 17-year-old youth, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, of perverting the course of justice.

Following the verdicts, Harker's family said: "We have been left with a lifetime of pain and loss that can never be undone.

"We hope this case opens people's eyes to how damaging gang culture has become for young people.

"Too many children are losing their lives and too many families are being left to suffer unimaginable heartbreak.

"Something must change before more young lives are taken and more parents are forced to endure the pain that we now live with every day."

Det Ch Insp Lucie Card led the months-long investigation to build a case against the killers and their accomplices.

She said: "Our painstaking investigation established that Keanu was murdered because his killers took offence to something that was said in a social media group chat.

"Rather than ignore the comments, Emmanuel Popoola armed himself with a pistol and with the help of Tayvon Etefia carried out a drive-by shooting.

"This was cowardly and disproportionate violence that has understandably shocked the community."

Etefia and Popoola will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday and Friday, with the other defendants being sentenced on a later date.

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