Pictured: Man, 20, who was shot in busy street by 'up to three gunmen'

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Pictured: Man, 20, who was shot in busy street by 'up to three gunmen'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:32 PM on 19th October 2008

Victim: Ashley Kemete, 20, was found dead in Kennington after being shot

A man shot dead in the street may have been the victim of more than one attacker, it has emerged.

Ashley Kemete, 20, was gunned down in White Hart Street, Kennington, south London at 9.10pm on Friday.

Paramedics and the air ambulance were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Locals told how there were gangs in the area though police said they were keeping an open mind as to motive at this stage and declined to comment on whether it was gang related.

A local woman, who refused to give her name, said: 'I've heard some people saying that he was walking along the street and three people came up and shot him.

'This is very shocking, I've not known anything like that round here before.'

Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said there were many gangs around there.

She said: "There are five gangs in the immediate area. They fight on Friday nights, it's all about drugs and territory. We can expect to see some terrible repercussions from this."

'This is very shocking, I've not known anything like that round here before.'

Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said there were many gangs around there.

Abdul Momen, who works at Taste of India takeaway, said: 'It's quite shocking, we make deliveries to that street. There's so many gangs in this area so maybe it's linked to them.'

A Scotland Yard spokesman declined to comment on the precise circumstances of the shooting. A post mortem will be held tomorrow at Greenwich Mortuary.

Officers from the Met's Trident unit, which investigates gun crime within the black community, are leading the inquiry.

Detective Inspector Tony Broughton said: 'This murder happened in a busy part of town, just after 9pm on a Friday night.

'We know there were many people in the area. Several witnesses have already come forward, but there will be others who saw something or know something. We need those people to get in touch with us.'

Police officers at a murder scene on the corner of White Hart Street and Kennington Lane in south London, where a man was shot dead last night

She said: "There are five gangs in the immediate area. They fight on Friday nights, it's all about drugs and territory. We can expect to see some terrible repercussions from this."

A member of staff at the nearby White Hart pub in Kennington Lane said customers at the front of the building heard gunfire.

He said: 'We saw loads of police cars around and we heard that someone had been shot or was firing a gun. A couple of the guys at the front said they had heard gunshots.'

The area was still cordoned off today as police officers investigated.

Murder hunt: Forensics search the scene where Ashley Kemete was shot

Today the street remained sealed off with uniformed police stationed at intervals along it and forensic experts also on scene.

A team of officers carrying long sticks conducted a painstaking search of part of the street.

A 36-year-old woman living nearby, who refused to give her name, said: 'It sounded like fireworks. We were watching television when we heard the noise, and my husband said, "I hope that was only fireworks". There was certainly more than one shot.

'Then an awful lot of police turned up and we watched from the roof terrace as armed police went up and down, but we didn't see a body.

'This is normally a nice, pleasant area, with a good community spirit, but I suppose these things all happen somewhere.'

A 21-year-old woman neighbour, who refused to give her name, said: "We heard 'bang, bang, bang' and I thought, it's a bit early for fireworks.

"Then we heard there was a boy on the floor and he'd been shot four times.

"I know the boy who it was, we used to hang around together with other youngsters when we were kids though I've lost touch with him since.

"I saw him a few days ago, it's shocking to think that now he's dead.

"The time was when people used to fight with their fists, now it's all gone crazy."

Farruggio Rossi, 67, who runs a gents' hairdressers near the scene, said: "I've lived here 25 years and it's not a bad area but of course this is happening everywhere.

"All my customers are very upset about what has happened."

Henry Buckstone, 77, who lives nearby, said: 'I was at home last night and didn't hear anything.

'I saw what had happened on the TV news this morning and went to try and get my car out of that street where it was parked, but so far police haven't let me.

'I've only been in this area about two years but I've never had any problems around here.'