Teenagers shot dead in alley chase

Two teenagers were shot dead as they were chased down an alleyway, police said today.

The shooting happened on the Fishermead council estate in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, shortly after 10pm yesterday.

Mohammed Abdi Farah, 19, died at the scene, and 18-year-old Amin Ahmed Ismail died after being taken to Milton Keynes Hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.

Both men were known to police for low-level incidents and detectives have ruled out the killings being gang-related at this stage.

Mr Farah's uncle, Rashid Hirad, told Sky News that his nephew had been in hiding for the last few weeks.

He said Mr Farah had been beaten up repeatedly and his mother had moved to Birmingham in an attempt to avoid the trouble but he kept returning to Milton Keynes to visit friends.

Mr Hirad said: "She decided to move from Milton Keynes to Birmingham because she wanted to run away from these people but she couldn't. All the time he is coming back to Milton Keynes to visit friends and at last it happened."

Detective Superintendent Rob Mason, who is leading the investigation for Thames Valley Police, said: "Clearly we are at the very early stages of our investigation into this incident, which happened at Fishermead Boulevard.

"A large area of Fishermead is currently sealed off while officers carry out investigations and protect the scene.

"I appreciate that residents will feel concerned about this incident. However, there is a large and highly visible police presence in the area.

"I also appreciate that there will be a lot of rumour and intrigue in the community. However, we are at the very early stages of this investigation and as such cannot speculate on possible reasons for the attack.

"I would ask that anyone who has any information about this incident contacts Thames Valley Police urgently."

Mr Mason added: "We believe that the victims in this incident are friends, but we do not know if the offender is known to them."