A man was shot dead on the doorstep of his London townhouse last night as the horrifying Christmas Eve slaughter saw the capital’s murder toll rise to 146.
The gunman fired five bullets into the victim, believed to be eastern European, as he answered the door of the £1.5million property at 8.45pm, according to witnesses.
Residents on Church Road, Battersea, settling down in their homes on the night before Christmas were suddenly shaken by deafening bangs.
A health worker who lives opposite ran over in a desperate attempt to save the man while others, thought to be the victim’s family, swarmed around him.
Police and ambulance were scrambled to the scene in south west London around 15 minutes after panicked residents heard the ‘incredibly loud’ blasts.
Julian Stratton, 51, was at his parents’ home just metres from the scene and said: ‘We are friends with a man who lives directly opposite the scene. He told us there was a knock at the victim’s door, which was answered.
‘Then there were five gunshots. Four back-to-back, “bang, bang, bang, bang”, then a pause before the final shot.
A man was shot dead on the doorstep of his London townhouse last night as a violent Christmas Eve saw the capital’s murder toll tick 146 (crime scene pictured)
The gunman fired several bullets into the victim, believed to be eastern European, as he stepped out of the Church Road, Battersea, property at 8.45pm
‘The shots were heard by many neighbours, but being Christmas Eve, most people thought they were fireworks, at first.’
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 Met Police officer said: ‘A murder investigation linked to the shooting is now underway after the victim died.’
A car was pictured being taken away from the crime scene.
Another resident was walking his daughter to the bus stop and missed the shots by a matter of minutes.
Police and ambulance were scrambled to the scene in south west London around 15 minutes after panicked residents heard ‘incredibly loud’ bangs
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- 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
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- Steven Brown, 47, Apr-17, Stoke Newington
- Meshach Williams, 21, Apr-23, Harlesden
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- 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
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- Steven Kennedy, 61, May-30, Plaistow
- Graham Howe, 53, May-30, Harrow
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- Adrian Murphy, 43, Jun-04, Battersea
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- 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
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- Kye Manning, 19, Jul-11, Croydon
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- Diane Dyer, 61, Jul-18, Beckenham
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- 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
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- 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
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- Jack Merritt, 25, Nov-29, London Bridge
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- Albert Amofa, 33, Dec-15, Croydon
- Ebrima Cham, 35, Dec-19, Hounslow
- Michael Paul Baptista, 24, Dec-19, Walthamstow
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- Unnamed man, 60, Dec-23, Thornton Heath
The elderly man, who does not wish to be named, said: ‘I was dropping my daughter off at the bus stop and walked right passed the house in question.
‘When I returned I saw what had happened. A group of people gathered around the person. I stopped, but didn’t help because everything that could be done, was being done.
‘If I had left five minutes later I could have got caught up in it.’
The man’s other daughter, who was still at his home when the incident happened, said: ‘The bangs were incredibly loud. Then more than 10 police cars arrived about 15 minutes later.’
Omar Seikaly, 35, a caterer who lives several doors down from the victim’s house, said: ‘Someone got their life taken on Christmas Eve.
‘I was coming back from my kitchen at about 8.15 and was in the shower getting ready for a Christmas meal when it happened.
‘I didn’t hear anything, because of the shower I suppose. As soon as I walked out I knew there was something wrong because of all the flashing lights from police cars and ambulances.
‘This is a pretty hot area. There was a stabbing on a street nearby not long ago. But shooting is quite new.’
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.
London Ambulance Service and Scotland Yard have been contacted for comment.
The terraced townhouse the victim was shot in is valued at around £1.5 million on the property website Zoopla.
- Did you witness the shooting? Email jack.w.elsom@mailonline.co.uk or call 02036150522