Police probe shooting of youth

Another family was mourning the violent death of a teenager last night after Britain's gang culture claimed another victim.

Officers from Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime in the black community, launched a murder investigation yesterday after an 18-year-old youth was shot dead in a residential cul-de-sac in south London by a man who had approached him on a scooter.

The killing brings the number of teenagers killed in stabbings or shootings in the capital this year to 17.

Police said yesterday that the victim was part of a group of 10 to 11 youths, aged around 17 or 18, who were gathered in Marcus Garvey Way when they were approached by a black male, also aged around 18, on a blue motorcycle or scooter and wearing a helmet.

He engaged the group in conversation before producing a gun. The group began to flee as the man fired at them, killing the victim. Police refused to reveal how many shots were fired.

A statement said: "Police attended and found a male believed to be in his late teens. He had been shot. He was taken by ambulance to a south London hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 23.00.

"We are in the process of establishing the identity of the victim and informing his next of kin. We are keeping an open mind as to motive."