Shereka Marsh: teenage boy charged with murder after girl was shot dead on Saturday

Police are now appealing for information regarding the shooting

Tributes to the 15-year-old have flooded social media (Facebook)

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder following the shooting of Shereka Fab-Ann Marsh in east London, according to Scotland Yard.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to appear at Thames Magistrates' Court today.

Shereka died at a house in Eastway, in Hackney on Saturday afternoon after she was shot in the neck.

Two 16-years-olds who had been arrested in connection to the shooting have been released without charge, police said.

Police were called to reports of a shooting shortly before 4pm on Saturday.

The London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance attended but 15-year-old Shereka was pronounced dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination found the girl died from a single gunshot wound to the neck.

Detectives later recovered a gun from the house.

Mourners visited the scene throughout yesterday to lay flowers and leave messages of condolence.

Chinelle Jennings, 16, a friend and schoolmate of the victim for five years, was among a group of eight of the girl's friends who gathered opposite the house where the shooting happened.

“She was a nice bubbly girl and she loved to party, loved shopping. She was just like the kind of girl that you would have to fall in love with,” she said.

“She liked PE. Her favourite subject was history. She was good at sports. She wanted to study business.”

The teenager added: “She lived with her mum, her dad was in Jamaica. They just had each other, just them two and they lived together. She cherished her mum.

"Her mum was very protective."

Drew Percival, 16, a friend of the victim for three years, said: "She had a good mindset, she was very funny. She was more of the business type. She liked her clothes, it was all designer. She was very sociable, a lot of friends.

“She was good at sports. She was always that person who was making everyone laugh. Sleepovers, party time and food - she used to eat! She even used to tell me what to wear.

"She had a range of things she wanted to do. She was an only child. We tried to speak to her mum but she wasn't in. Some of the teachers came to the Homerton hospital last night. They were trying to calm everyone else."

She said Shereka had been in a relationship since January.

Krista Brown, an ambassador for the National Apprenticeship Service, whose son Shad Brown knows Shereka, said: !It's a tragic situation for both sides of the coin. And that's what should be noted, it really is. Nice girl, just a local girl. This is a local community.

"They're our kids, what people fail to realise is that this is our kids' reality. They were all local to here.

"She went to my niece's school, Urswick School. Pretty girl, nice, hard-working. From what I've seen on Facebook popular, friends with everybody."

She added: "We spend 20 years of our life protecting our children and hoping this doesn't happen to them."

Last week Shereka had been pictured in the local press helping to host the Jamaican High Commissioner who visited The Urswick school.

Shereka was one of four pupils who led the visitors on a tour of the school, the Hackney Gazette said.

Tributes have also been paid to the victim on Twitter and Facebook. A Facebook page called 'R.I.P. Shereka' has more than 10,000 likes.

Azmina Bhamji commented on the page: "The good die young.. Another angel up in heaven, she's up there smiling at everyone, rest in peace princess."

Jessica Leonard posted: "Rest in peace beautiful Shereka you will be missed loads and we all miss you loads already."

Kerrease Jan Baptiste commented: "Shereka is going to be the brightest star in the sky."

The person who set up the page posted that Shereka was "Loved By Everyone", and described her as a "Beautiful Angel".

On Twitter, tee-brownie tweeted: "Rest In Perfect Paradise Shereka Marsh, heaven has gained another angel gone to soon, I love you."

NayyLDN tweeted: "I remember when we used to do athletics and football together, Rest in peace shereka marsh."

The terraced house where the shooting happened is a short distance from the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives on 020 8345 3775 or, to give information anonymously, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

PA