A grandmother whose two-year-old grandson was shot in the head has appealed for people with information to “do the right thing” and come forward to help police.
Lillian Serunkuma said the attack on the child, who managed to survive, had “perplexed” her and she worried that someone who would do that “is a risk to the community”.
As part of the fresh appeal officers are offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible, and have also released CCTV of a moped they have reason to believe was involved in the incident.
Police were called shortly before 21:45hrs on Wednesday, 3 June to Energen Close in Harlesden, NW10, following reports of a shooting.
Officers attended and found a number of people injured. The two-year-old boy was one of four people, including his mother, who suffered gunshot injuries.
Doctors told the family the bullet missed the little boy’s crucial artery by just 1mm and, if damaged, the injury would have been fatal.
The other three people shot – two men, aged in their late teens, and the mother of the child – were also taken to hospital. The injuries sustained are expected to have a long-lasting impact on the victims.
Detectives investigating the incident believe a man carrying a hand gun fired a shot at one of the teenage men and then fired into a car containing the boy, his mother and the other teenage male. As a result of the shooting, the mother was hit multiple times. Two other children were present in the car but were unharmed.
The gunman is then believed to have left the scene on a moped.
Detectives are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Wallis, Specialist Crime North, who leads the investigation, said: “This was an appalling attack that left a little boy fighting for his life and, by sheer chance, did not end in a fatality. We have worked around the clock to try and find those responsible but we need the public’s help. We are now offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for this attack.
“The public have a huge role in helping to both prevent and detect crime. We need to hear from anyone who has information about this crime.”
Lillian Serunkuma, grandmother of the two-year-old who was shot, said: “This situation has had me perplexed by the actions of the person who did this and as much as I appeal to those who have any information I also understand their reluctance to say anything, however I urge them to do the right thing as this could have happened to anyone.
“The perpetrator chose to do this to innocent victims, therefore this is not a person that should be free if anyone knows something. I worry that someone with that mind-set is a risk to the community. This is something no family should have to deal with. The fact that an innocent child was also a victim, it’s important that people acknowledge this should never happen and any information however insignificant at the time may be important now.”
