Man, 36, was shot dead on Christmas Eve in front of his young family

A father shot dead on Christmas Eve just yards from his £1.5million home was tragically killed in front of his wife and young child, Scotland Yard has revealed.

The unnamed victim, 36, was peppered with a spray of bullets on his return from an evening out with his family at around 9pm on Tuesday.

As the gunman fled the scene of the slaughter on Battersea Church Road, south London, emergency services were scrambled.

But, despite their efforts and those of a health worker neighbour to save the father, he was pronounced dead.

No arrests have been made, however Metropolitan Police detectives have launched their 146th murder probe of the year – the worst on record for 11 years. 

As the gunman fled the scene of the slaughter on Battersea Church Road, south London, emergency services were scrambled 

DCI Jamie Stevenson, of the Specialist Crime Command,said: ‘Our investigation is in the very early stages and we are still working to establish what the motive could be that has led to a man losing his life in such a horrific way, on Christmas Eve, in front of his family.

‘They have been devastated by this horrible event and are being supported by specialist officers.

‘We know that the victim was returning home with his wife and young child following an evening out, when he was shot just yards from his home.’

Julian Stratton, 51, was at his parents’ home just metres from the scene and when he said he heard the deafening gunfire. 

He said: ‘Then there were five gunshots. Four back-to-back, “bang, bang, bang, bang”, then a pause before the final shot.’

‘The shots were heard by many neighbours, but being Christmas Eve, most people thought they were fireworks, at first.’

Police and ambulance were scrambled to the scene in south west London around 15 minutes after panicked residents heard ‘incredibly loud’ bangs

• Charlotte Huggins, 32, Jan-01, Camberwell
• Tudor Simionov, 33, Jan-01, Mayfair
• Simbiso Aretha Moula, 39, Jan-04, Rainham
• Sarah Ashraf, 35, Jan-06, Isle of Dogs
• Jayden Moody, 14, Jan-07, Waltham Forest
• Asma Begum, 31, Jan-11, Canning Town
• Kamil Malysz, 34, Jan-27, Acton
• Nedim Bilgin, 17, Jan-29, Islington
• Carl Thorpe, 46, Feb-04, Highgate
• Lejean Richards, 19, Feb-05, Battersea
• Dennis Anderson, 39, Feb-10, East Dulwich
• Bright Akinlele, 22, Feb-18, Camden
• Brian Wieland, 69, Feb-19, Chingford
• Glendon Spence, 23, Feb-21, Brixton
• Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, Feb-22, Wood Green
• David Lopez-Fernandez, 38, Feb-25, Tower Hamlets
• Che Morrison, 20, Feb-26, Ilford
• Jodie Chesney, 17, Mar-01, Harold Hill
• Elize Linda Stevens, 50, Mar-02, Hendon
• Jolia Bogdan, 3 months, Mar-02, Croydon
• Mohamed Elmi, 37, Mar-03, Soho
• Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, 34, Mar-06, Kew
• David Martinez, 26, Mar-06, Leyton
• Antoinette Donnegan, 52, Mar-07, Battersea
• Ayub Hassan, 17, Mar-07, West Kensington
• Florin Pitic, 20, Mar-10, Brent
• Nathaniel Armstrong, 29, Mar-16, Fulham
• Abdirashid Mohamoud, 17, Mar-22, Isleworth
• Ravi Katharkamar, 54, Mar-24, Pinner
• Ramane Richard Wiggan, 25, Mar-27, West Norwood
• Zahir Visiter, 25, Mar-28, Regents Park
• Gavin Garraway, 40, Mar-29, Clapham
• Calvin Bungisa, 22, Apr-01, Kentish Town
• Hubert Hall, 60, Apr-02, Walthamstow
• Annabelle Lancaster, 22, Apr-07, Enfield
• Noore Bashir Salad, 22, Apr-08, Manor Park
• Gopinath Kasivisuwanathan, 27, Apr-16, Wembley
• Steven Brown, 47, Apr-17, Stoke Newington
• Meshach Williams, 21, Apr-23, Harlesden
• Mihrican Mustafa, 38, Apr-26, Canning Town
• Henriett Szucs, 34, Apr-26, Canning Town
• Amy Parsons, 35, Apr-26, Whitechapel
• Joshua White, 29, Apr-26, Hackney
• Tashaun Aird, 15, May-01, Hackney
• Constantin Sin, 51, May-05, Leytonstone
• McCaulay Urugbezi-Edwards, 18, May-05, Southwark
• Barrington Davis, 54, May-16, Lewisham
• Vladimir Koudriavtsev, 69, May-23, Kensington
• Tatiana Koudriavtsev, 68, May-23, Kensington
• Iderval da Silva, 46, May-25, Battersea
• Alimal Islam, 23, May-26, Tower Hamlets
• Ismaila Ceesay, 33, May-28, Forest Gate
• Steven Kennedy, 61, May-30, Plaistow
• Graham Howe, 53, May-30, Harrow
• Baris Kucuk, 33, Jun-01, Haringey
• Adrian Murphy, 43, Jun-04, Battersea
• Cheyon Evans, 18, Jun-14, Wandsworth
• Eniola Aluko, 19, Jun-14, Plumstead
• Gleb Stanislavovitch Zhebrovsky, 34, Jun-15, Tower Hamlets
• Giedrius Juskauskas, 42, Jun-16, Stratford
• Stepan Suslyk, 40, Jun-16, Notting Hill
• David Bello-Monerville, 38, Jun-18, Barnet
• Ionut Manea, 63, Jun-18, Ilford
• Edward Simpson, 25, Jun-21, Feltham
• Yusuf Mohamed, 18, Jun-26, Shepherds Bush
• Kelly Mary Fauvrelle, 26, Jun-29, Croydon
• Riley Fauvrelle, 5 days, Jun-29, Croydon
• Ian Taylor, 54, Jun-29, Lambeth
• Fuad Habib, 28, Jun-29, Newham
• Gary Blagrove, 44, Jun-29, Fulham
• Amara Toure, 18, Jun-30, Southwark
• Tesfa Campbell, 40, Jul-03, Wandsworth
• Craig Walters (Craig Small), 32, Jul-05, Wembley
• Amanda Gretton, 57, Jul-05, Blackheath
• Grineo Daka, 27, Jul-07, Leyton
• Kwasi Mensah-Ababio, 26, Jul-08, Wembley
• Leo Marcus, 22, Jul-10, Kidbrooke
• Boluwatife Oyewunmi, 22, Jul-11, Enfield
• Kye Manning, 19, Jul-11, Croydon
• Akbar Arezo, 64, Jul-12, Whitton
• Layla Arezo, 74, Jul-12, Whitton
• Aron Kato, 28, Jul-17, Ilford
• Diane Dyer, 61, Jul-18, Beckenham
• Abdullahi Hassan, 20, Jul-25, South Hampstead
• Robert Komuro, 41, Jul-23, Hillingdon
• Liam Dent, 25, Jul-26, Chessington
• Alciveadis Mauredis, 60, Jul-31, Islington
• Dorothy Woolmer, 89, Aug-03, Tottenham
• Mohammed Shah Subhani, 27, Aug-05, Hounslow
• Alex Smith, 16, Aug-12, Camden
• Solomon Small, 18, Aug-15, Lambeth
• Amrou Greenidge, 18, Aug-20, Fulham
• Allan Isichei, 69, Aug-24, Southall
• Santino Angelo Dymiter, 18, Aug-26, Newham
• Lee Casey, 39, Aug-29, Brixton
• Unnamed child, 15 months, Aug-27, Putney
• Laura Rakstelyte, 31, Aug-29, Ilford
• Perry Jordan-Brammer, 15, Aug-30, Tottenham
• Sandra Samuels, 45, Aug-31, Hackney
• Norman Bertran-Tavarez, 24, Sep-01, Southwark
• Michael Irving, 15, Sep-03, Stratford
• Unnamed man, 20s, Sep-08, Lewisham
• Sahkira Mercedes Gwendolin Loseke, 20s, Sep-08, Chalk Farm
• Wilson Alexandre Garcia Varela, 24, Sep-09, Kentish Town
• Josiph Beker (Youssef al-Bayjani), 17, Sep-10, Edgware Road
• Unnamed girl, 8 weeks, Sep-12, SE16
• Assad Abdullah Yarow, 25, Sep-12, Camden
• Omar Smith, 34, Sep-13, Lewisham
• Unnamed girl, 16 months, Sep-13, Plaistow
• Julio Gomes, 29, Sep-14, Edmonton
• Mark McCann-Barrett, 33, Sep-17, Walthamstow
• Serafima Meshaka, 58, Sep-18, Ealing
• Sufi Osman, 22, Sep-23, Southall
• Tashan Daniel, 20, Sep-24, Hillingdon
• Osvaldo Carvalho, 22, Sep-24, Ealing
• Arlene Williams, 46, Sep-28, Enfield
• Baptista Adjie, 15, Oct-10, Stratford
• Clinton Evbota, 18, Oct-10, Camberwell
• Ben Lines, 20, Oct-13, Bexley
• Zoe Orton, 46, Oct-21, Deptford
• Beatrice Yankson, 59, Oct-26, Islington
• James Amadu, 26, Oct-31, Enfield
• Vladislavs Radionovs, 57, Nov-02, Ilford
• Hakim Ishmael Daba Sillah, 18, Nov-07, Uxbridge
• Mohammed Mirza, 19, Nov-19, Ilford
• Iron Miah, 40, Nov-19, Whitechapel
• Randy Skuse, 27, Nov-23, Whitechapel
• Akeem Dylon Barnes, 24, Nov-24, Ilford
• Mehran Heydari, 26, Nov-24, Ealing
• Justin Bello, 38, Nov-25, Neasden
• Jack Merritt, 25, Nov-29, London Bridge
• Saskia Jones, 23, Nov-29, London Bridge
• Exauce Ngimbi, 22, Dec-05, Hackney
• Mohammed Abdullah Al Araimi, 20, Dec-06, Knightsbridge
• Crossland Davis, 20, Dec-06, Greenwich
• James O’Keefe, 47, Dec-09, Hornsey
• Dmytro Balaban, 28, Dec-14, Brent
• Viorel Stefan, 49, Dec-14, Dagenham
• Albert Amofa, 33, Dec-15, Croydon
• Ebrima Cham, 35, Dec-19, Hounslow
• Michael Paul Baptista, 24, Dec-19, Walthamstow
• Unnamed man, 30s, Dec-19, Barnet
• Unnamed boy, 16, Dec-19, Dagenham
• Unnamed man, 29, Dec-21, Newham
• Unnamed man, 60, Dec-23, Thornton Heath

He added: ‘My neighbour’s partner is a health worker. He went to help the man, who was lying on his driveway, before the police and ambulances arrived.

‘It is thought that one round entered the victim’s neck, but where the other four ended up are unknown.

‘We think the man is Eastern European but don’t know exactly where he is from.

‘My parents have lived here for more than a decade. They are surprised this has happened.’

A car was pictured being taken away from the crime scene.

Police have moved to reassure Battersea residents that there is no immediate risk from the gunman.  

As much of the world celebrates Christmas and looks ahead to 2020, Londoners will reflect on a bloodbath year of horrific stabbings and gun violence.