Mum killed in drive-by taking pictures at UK church wake as bullets fired into mourners
Michelle Sadio, 44, was shot dead outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north London, during a drive-by shooting as mourners gathered for a wake
Michelle Sadio, 46, was killed in a drive-by shooting(Image: Mirror)
Two men have been convicted of the murder of an innocent woman in a drive-by shooting outside a wake, which also left two others injured. Michelle Sadio, a 44 year old mother of two, was fatally shot outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north London, on 14 December 2024.
She was among approximately 100 mourners, including children as young as five, who had gathered to pay their respects at the wake for 80 year old Dianne Boatong.
At around 9pm, attendees were standing outside on the pavement when a black Kia pulled up and shots were fired into the crowd. Ms Sadio, a legal administrator, was struck and died at the scene.
Kenneth Amoah, a 39 year old contractor for Transport for London, was hit in the back and paralysed from the waist down, while self-employed Kadeem Francis, 32, was shot in the foot. The alleged intended target was rapper Trapstar Toxic, whose real name is Adetokunbo Ajibola, 33, who was present at the event.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, and Amir Salem, 20, were found guilty of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Rapper Shaquille Sutherland, known as Lil Shak, 26, from Wembley, and Tahjin Sommersall, 19, from Feltham, west London, were acquitted.
The prosecution had claimed that Mr Sommersall had been in the Kia with two other men, who fled the country following the incident.
At least four shots were fired, although it remains unclear who in the Kia was responsible for pulling the trigger.
Allen-Thomas, hailing from Wembley, north London, was alleged to have assisted in planning the shooting but made sure he was elsewhere when it occurred.
The Kia utilised in the attack had been nicked and was being driven with counterfeit number plates.
Following the shooting, it was soaked in petrol and set ablaze.
Salem, also from Wembley, had purchased some of the petrol used to ignite the fire, the jury heard.
On the night of the shooting, Salem was in touch with the occupants of the Kia and relayed information back to Allen-Thomas, the jury was informed.
The firearm used in the shooting had been deployed twice before in the preceding few months, and was described as a “gang gun”.
In one of the prior incidents, the occupant of a car fired at a group of males outside a pizza shop, discharging 11 rounds and striking one individual in the ankle.
There was no implication that the defendants were involved.
Testifying in his trial, Mr Sommersall refuted being in the Kia and asserted he was on a council estate in Wembley at the time of the shooting.
The other defendants denied any involvement or knowledge of the incident.
After Tuesday’s verdicts, Mrs Justice McGowan remanded the two convicted defendants into custody for sentencing at a later date.
