The family of Corey Junior Davis (pictured), from East London, took the heartbreaking decision to turn off his life-support machine
The heartbroken grandfather of a 14-year-old boy fatally blasted in the head with a shotgun near a playground has relieved the last time he saw him.
The family of Corey Junior Davis – known to friends as CJ, from East London – took the heartbreaking decision to turn his life-support machine off today.
And as the Metropolitan Police hunted for a light coloured 4×4, his grandfather Neville McLeod – with whom he lived in Forest Gate – told Sky News: ‘I never know of him getting into any trouble.
‘I think he got into trouble once – but not anything major, that someone could want to kill him. He lives with me here.
‘Every morning, he got up, have his breakfast, have his bath, have his breakfast, and he say: “Granddad, I’ll see you later.” He always come home – but he never come home the other day.’
It was claimed Corey was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a lone gunman targeted rival gang members.
His loved ones said his death was unfair as he had never had any involvement with gangs.
A 17-year-old boy, named locally as Jamal Reid, was also shot and suffered ‘life-changing injuries’.
CJ was the youngest of a small group of friends sat in an East London housing estate on Monday afternoon.
The boy’s grandfather Neville McLeod told Sky News that he had only got into trouble ‘once’
He is understood to have been part of a group targeted by a rival gang in retaliation for the stabbing of an 18-year-old during a mass brawl at the nearby Westfield shopping centre on Friday.
It is thought they singled out the youngster because he was an ‘easy target’. Police confirmed a murder investigation had been launched after CJ died in hospital.
A close school friend who was taking flowers to CJ’s mother claimed the family had chosen to turn off the teen’s life support machine.
She said: ‘He used to come to school, he was lively and hyperactive. He was always dancing and trying to make you laugh.
‘CJ was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was the youngest one there.
‘There was a group of them and a guy came in a car and shot them in a revenge attack over the stabbing at Westfield in Stratford but CJ did not deserve to go.
It was claimed Corey (pictured as a younger boy) was in the wrong place at the wrong time
‘They turned off his life support earlier, he’s dead, I’m taking flowers to his mum. I was there I came after the second shot when his friend got shot in the leg.
‘By then CJ had already been shot but we didn’t realise, we walked into the alleyway and the other boy dropped and his friends were quite emotional about it, everyone was screaming and they were trying to find help.
‘We went to the doctor’s surgery and told them but we didn’t know that CJ had been shot. People were running around and trying to find out who shot him.
‘I don’t think they were specifically aiming for CJ they were after anyone from that area, he was just with the boys they were after and saw him as an easy target.
‘He was shot right in front of the gates, everyone usually chills there.
Police are searching for a suspect in an alleged double shooting in Newham, east London
‘His family are annoyed because he was not part of it, they don’t think it’s fair that the boys targeted him because he is the youngest.
‘The gunman was hiding behind a wall, his face was covered and he had red and black gloves on. There was only one gunman he was about 16 or 17 and very quiet.
‘CJ was shot first and his friend begged his mates not to leave him and then he was shot in the leg.’
Extra police patrols have been put in place in Newham as the borough braces itself for a revenge attack after the double shooting in broad daylight yesterday.
The Metropolitan Police said there were ‘serious concerns’ of retaliation and have put extra officers on the streets as well as enhanced stop and search powers.
Police said it had taken the action after a spate of shootings in the area. Inquiries are continuing and no arrests have been made.
Police were called to Moore Walk in Forest Gate, east London, after a suspected double shooting left one man fighting for his life and another with potentially life-changing injuries
The pair were in an alleyway when the gunman approached them from behind and opened fire at 3.10pm in the Moore Walk area of Forest Gate, East London.
London Ambulance Service attended the scene and both boys were rushed to an East London hospital.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘They were just sitting there talking, and then this guy just came from behind and shot him.
‘Fourteen years old, what can you do to get shot in the head with a shotgun?’
A nearby resident told the London Evening Standard: ‘The shooting was outside the playground. I heard the noise from my house – pow, pow, it was twice.
‘I looked outside my window and I couldn’t see anything, but then I heard people screaming and I went outside.
Officers say firearms incidents are blighting communities in the London borough of Newham
‘The boy couldn’t talk, he was just laying down breathing hard. I didn’t want to look at him because I saw too much blood. They said he came up behind him and shot him.
‘The other guy was talking, he had managed to run but got shot in his leg. They live here, they’re local. They’re always playing around here. They’re very young, they’re kids.’
Horrified staff from the nearby Lord Lister Surgery, which backs onto Moore Walk, ran outside to help the victims.
A receptionist said: ‘I heard three shots and I thought nothing of it until I heard someone shout ‘oh no, they got him in the head’.
‘There was quite a lot of people outside and I saw one of my colleagues run outside to see what they could do to help, but there was a lot of people surrounding him.
‘There was this old lady holding him like a baby, cradling him in her arms.
‘I was phoning an ambulance with the other boy who had been shot in the leg. I was telling him not to worry, but it was as if he was not taking it in.’
A resident of the housing estate near Forest Gate railway station was watching TV when he heard several gunshots.
Imran Saddiq, 66, said: ‘I was watching telly and all of a sudden I heard some gunshots.
‘I looked out my window and I saw a boy trying to get away. He had a wound to his leg so I called the ambulance. There was a lady who was helping and comforting him.’
Locals claimed the shooting was the result of a tit-for-tat dispute between the E6 postcode gang and the rival Woodgrange gang.
It is claimed the E6 gang, based in Beckton, East London, arranged the attack on their rivals, who operate around Forest Gate’s Woodgrange Road, following last week’s brawl at Westfield.
Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, head of policing in the London Borough of Newham, said: ‘Sadly two young men have been shot on our streets. We are only too well aware that this incident comes after a number of shootings that are blighting our communities and seriously injuring our young men.’
Police have put a cordon in place after one man was left in critical condition after being shot
He said extra officers would be on duty in the borough overnight due to fears there could be a revenge attack. He authorised them to use stop and search tactics.
‘Proactive work will continue with our borough teams and specialist units such as Trident Area and Crime Command to investigate and catch the people responsible for these offences,’ he added.
‘Violence has no place on our streets, and we have already made four arrests in connection with recent firearms offences.
‘I want the community of Newham to help us tackle this – if you have any information about people carrying or supplying firearms please let us know and we will take action.’
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams said: ‘We are pursuing all lines of inquiry to catch the person responsible for Corey’s murder and are keen to hear from anyone who believes they might have information.’
Met Police figures published in April revealed a 42 per cent spike in gun offences – up to 2,544 compared to 1,793 between April 2015 and 2016.
Any witnesses or anyone with any information should call Newham Police on 101.