Cameroon timber Met detectives meticulously pieced together more than 2,000 hours of CCTV to identify four men involved in a drive-by shooting outside a church in Euston.
Four women and two children were injured after a sawn-off shotgun was fired into a crowd of people who had been at a memorial service in January 2023.
Today, Thursday, 15 February, as a result of our investigation, the men responsible were convicted.
At around 13:30hrs on 14 January 2023, we received a number of 999 calls to report a shooting outside a church on Phoenix Road.
Officers and paramedics responded and found four women and two girls had been injured after a shot was fired from a car into the back of a crowd of people who had turned to view doves being released from the church steps.
They were taken to hospital to be treated. One of the girls was left with a metal pellet embedded in a muscle close to her heart which will have an impact for the rest of her life.
One of the women was left with serious injuries that have impacted her hearing and balance.
The other victims have recovered from their physical injuries.
The car sped away leaving a scene of devastation in its wake and detectives began urgent enquiries to locate the driver.
Investigation launched
The shooting happened in a built-up area and officers worked quickly to recover nearby CCTV in the hope that one of the cameras would have captured the car involved.
In total they viewed around 2,000 hours’ worth of footage to track the car as it made its escape.
Video from a bus camera showed the car’s number plate and officers made checks to identify the owner.
Unfortunately this wasn’t the breakthrough officers were hoping for as the car was travelling on cloned plates.
They tracked down the owner of the actual car and he was ruled out of the investigation after providing a credible alibi.
At around the same time officers received information to suggest Tyrell Lacroix was involved in the shooting.
Planning the shooting
Further enquiries were carried out. This included reviewing phone data which showed Tyrell had been in contact with two other men in the weeks before the attack.
Planning began in November 2022 when Lacroix found the black Toyota car that would be used in the shooting.
Lacroix was part of a gang in north London and believed members of a rival gang would be at the memorial service.
Over the weeks that followed, he was in contact with Jordan Walters and Alrico Nelson Martin. Martin supplied the sawn-off shotgun.
Days before the shooting, in early January, Lacroix and Walters visited the church to survey the area. Detectives analysed phone location data to prove they were together in the area.
The day of the shooting
On 14 January 2023, Lacroix and Walters were with a third man, Jashy Perch, at his home in Watford.
Detectives recovered taxi booking records which proved Martin had gone to the property at around midday to deliver the gun.
A short time later, Lacroix, Walters and Perch, left Watford for Euston. They did a number of circuits outside the church before one of them opened fire into the crowd.
As the mourners were left scared for their lives, the group fled the scene.
Officers, who are experts in CCTV recovery, obtained footage and tracked their five-mile getaway through north London.
This showed them overtaking cars, driving on the wrong side of the road, and jumping a red light.
Detective Inspector Darren Jones, from the Specialist Crime Trident Investigation team, said: “These dangerous men brought unimaginable fear and horror to the streets of London. I am pleased our investigation has resulted in them being convicted.
“They cowardly shot at mourners as they gathered outside a church. The innocent women and girls who were injured will have to deal with the impact of that for the rest of their lives.
“Our investigation has been extensive and complex. It involved recovering and viewing around 2,000 hours of CCTV and piecing together a significant amount of phone location data to identify those responsible.
“Our Specialist Crime Trident Investigation teams are committed to the Met’s mission to tackle violence against women and girls. This investigation demonstrates our relentless determination to identify dangerous offenders and bring them to justice.”
The men will be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 12 April.
Enquiries continue to identify a fourth man who was in the car at the time of the shooting.
Conviction details
The following people were convicted of conspiracy to wound with intent to cause serious harm at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, 15 February:
Tyrell Lacroix, 23 (23.04.00), of Dorman Way, NW8
Jashy Perch, 20 (16.04.03), of Churchfields Road, Watford
Jordan Walter, 24 (19.04.99), of Hilltop Avenue, Brent
Alrico Nelson-Martin, 20 (11.11.03), of Griffin Close, Brent. He was also convicted of possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life.