Drill rap gangland turf war sparked Lawless London assassination

A triple shooting that left two drill rappers dead was sparked by a gangland turf war, it has been claimed – with rivals posting gloating videos and comments mocking their deaths as the killers remain at large. 

Residents of Ilford, East London, described seeing masked assailants arriving on bicycles for the ‘targeted execution’ on Tuesday night before fleeing in a car under the cover of firework displays marking Diwali. 

The two murdered men were named on social media as drill rappers ‘Giddy’ and ‘Shifty’, part of the group Drillford, which is locked in a bitter turf war with rivals the Manor Park Gang.

Giddy posted a rap video a year ago in which he threatened a rival.

In the hours after his death, supporters of the rival gang posted gloating comments under his videos on YouTube. ‘Manor just turned up the heat,’ said one comment, followed by a skull and crossbones emoji.

‘OM [Only Manor] yutes dropped him and another Drillford member and put another in hospital,’ a comment underneath another video read.   

One rival posted his own drill video after the shootings in which he appeared to celebrate the killings, rapping: ‘Not funny how we’re the laughing stock someone gets slapped and the laughing stops’.

An Ilford resident, who did not want to be named, said said ‘Only Manor’ – a nickname for the Manor Park gang – had claimed responsibility for the the murders on social media, with the OM hashtag being posted on freestyles recorded by Giddy on YouTube.

Several local residents said the attack at a suspected ‘trap house’ was intentionally orchestrated to happen on Diwali as fireworks would mask the gunshots. 

Kashif Patel, 33, from Ilford, said his friends were acquaintances of the victims and the attack had been part of a targeted gangland assassination.

‘It’s Ilford vs Manor Park it’s rival gangs,’ he added. ‘There is a video online where the beef is made public.

‘Even in the comments you can see people who are saying ‘guess who’s dead’, ‘crazy a year later it happened’ and ‘I guess I was right’.’

Another local, who asked not to be named, said: ‘It was a planned hit, it was an execution. They timed it because of the fireworks, one of the guys who got shot was a rapper called Giddy.

‘It was planned, people aren’t stupid, just think about it, it’s Diwali so you put two and two together – they used the fireworks to mask the noise of gunshots.’ 

Armed officers and paramedics raced to the scene of the triple shooting inside a Victorian terraced property on Henley Road, Ilford at around 12.16am on Tuesday. 

Emergency service staff warned of an ensuing street brawl between a group where shots were fired. Three men, two in their 20s and one in his 30s, were discovered inside a property with gunshot wounds. 

Neighbours told MailOnline that the sound of nearby Diwali fireworks masked the noise of gunshots at the suspected ‘drugs den’. But one eyewitness claims they saw cars approach the property before firing on the trio.  

The area has been increasingly plagued by crime.

Just under two miles from the murder scene a Somali teenage boy was stabbed to death outside Little Ilford Lane Youth Centre shortly after finishing his mock GCSE exams ten days ago.

A chicken shop close to the scene of today’s murder was closed down after a young boy was attacked.

One neighbour said: ‘Someone told me they made drill videos talking about these Manor Park people they were going to kill, there’s always beef between the Ilford and Manor Park people.

‘There was another murder here recently.

‘Just think about it: you’ve got Diwali and the fireworks going off, so you can’t even hear the shooting. Plus, it was inside the house anyway.’

Another resident told the Telegraph how they had spotted a man wearing a ‘black Joker-style mask’ running through nearby gardens shortly after the shocking attack. 

Uniformed officers sealed off parts of the residential area, which is dotted with nearby parks and homes costing more than £500,000, while forensic teams comb through the crime scene. 

Tuesday’s fatal attack marked the fifth killing within a ten-mile area of east London in the past week alone, and is the latest grisly attack to rock the capital’s communities.

Inspector Dave Holgate of the Met Police, addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon and said: ‘Tragically two men lost their lives this morning and another was seriously injured after an appalling act of violence here in Ilford.

‘We were called at 12.16am to reports of a fight and shots fired right here on Henley Road.

‘Inside the address officers found three men with gunshot wounds, two of whom have sadly died. The third remains in hospital with critical injuries.

‘Inquiries are ongoing to notify all next of kin and our thoughts are very much with their families today.

‘While I cannot discuss the details of the officers’ homicide investigation, I can confirm at their stage no arrests have been made.

‘There are a number of crime scenes in place and we thank local residents for their understanding and cooperation while our specialist and forensics teams do their job.’

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police added that officers now know the identity of the man in his 20s and work is ongoing to identify the other man killed in the shooting. 

Terrified residents recalled the apparent gang warfare that rocked their community late last night. According to locals, a man in a mask – which one witness described as having a Joker from Batman face – had been seen running from the scene shortly after the shooting. 

Anyone with dashcam, video doorbell or private CCTV footage of the initial fight are encouraged to get in touch as police probe the fatal shooting. 

Elsewhere in London, a police manhunt continues for a Stratford knifeman who stabbed one woman to death and seriously injured another at a home on Sunday.

And a man in his 30s was recovering after a separate knife attack in Croydon, south London on Monday evening. 

Detective Inspector Matt Read, from the Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘This was a tragic incident that resulted in two men losing their lives and a third man being critically injured. We are in contact with their families and will support them as they come to terms with this awful news.

‘We are still in the early stages of the investigation and are working to establish exactly what happened. A number of crime scenes will remain in place while we carry out these urgent enquiries. I believe there was a number of people at the house in Henley Road at the time of the shooting and I would encourage them to come forward as a matter of urgency.

‘We wilI not tolerate such violence on the streets of London and we are working round the clock to catch those responsible. I understand there will be significant concern in the community and an increased number of local officers will be in the area over the coming days to listen to any concerns.’

There have been 86 murders in London this year. This is a 23 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year, where there were 106. 

Anyone with information that can help the investigation is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 99/25Oct. To remain anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.