Four men have been jailed for their role in a gang drive-by shooting at a memorial service outside a church in central London in January 2023, which led to four women and two young girls being seriously injured.
A victim impact statement from one of the women—who was hit by more than 100 shotgun pellets and spent four months in hospital—was read to Kingston Crown Court on Friday, in which she said the men’s “callous actions” had “turned her life upside down.”
The gang fired a sawn-off shotgun packed with birdshot at a crowd of mourners who were about to release doves following a memorial service for Fresia Calderon, 50, and her daughter, Sara Sanchez, 20, at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Euston.
Tyrell La Croix, 23, Alrico Nelson-Martin, 20, Jordan Walters, 24, and Jashy Perch, 20, were convicted of conspiracy to wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a trial at Kingston Crown Court.
La Croix, a drill rapper known as T-Scam, was jailed for 21 years.
Nelson-Martin, who was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, was jailed for 14 years.
Gang Went Out to ‘Celebrate’ After Shooting
The judge, Mr. Justice Bryant-Heron, said La Croix, Nelson-Martin and Perch went out to “celebrate” and “party” after the shooting.He said, “You considered it a successful, violent strike against a rival gang ... It was a show of strength.”
The judge said La Croix showed a “chilling lack of empathy,” and police intelligence suggested he was a leading member of the Agar Grove gang.
Mr. Justice Bryant-Heron said one of the injured women had ironically moved to Britain from Colombia 30 years to escape gun violence and he said the incident “shattered” that feeling of safety she had since arriving in London.
It remains unclear why the Crown Prosecution Service chose not to charge La Croix and the others with attempted murder.
The feud between the Agar Grove gang, and their allies, and an alliance led by the Cumbo gang—whose name derives from the Cumberland Market estate—is one of the capital’s most violent.
The trial heard the Cumbo gang hit back, and in 2022, La Croix was attacked.
It was in revenge for that attack that La Croix and the others decided to shoot at their rivals who they belonged were among the crowd outside St. Aloysius Church.
The service was being held for Ms. Calderon, who died on Nov. 5, 2022 after collapsing at Heathrow Airport shortly after arriving on a flight from Colombia.
Her death was later attributed to a pulmonary embolism, a rare blood clot often associated with being immobile during long flights.
Her heartbroken daughter, Ms. Sanchez, died of leukaemia just 25 days after her mother.
Among the injured was a seven-year-old girl who was taken to hospital in critical condition and a 48-year-old woman who suffered a potentially life-changing injury.
On Friday morning, the court heard victim impact statements from the women and girls who were injured, none of whom can be named for legal reasons.
The woman who suffered a potentially life-changing injury, Ms. A, said more than 100 shotgun pellets ended up in her head, many of which remain in position.
She was in hospital for four months and said, “I could not sit down, I could not walk and I could not hold my head up.”
‘Beautiful Service ... Ended in a Cruel and Vicious way’
She said of the memorial service after which she was shot, “It was a very beautiful service which ended in such a cruel and vicious way which has ultimately changed my life.”Ms. A said: “I’m on anti-depressants due to PTSD and take strong painkillers for my migraines and sleeping tablets to help me sleep.”
She said, “I used to take pride in my personal appearance and loved having long hair. I’ve now had to shave my hair due to alopecia from the stress and I’ve really lost sense of who I am.”
A woman, Ms. B, who organised the memorial service, said it was supposed to be a “day of peace.”
Ms. B, who was herself injured, said she wished she had never organised the service and had “eternal guilt” for all those who were wounded and traumatised.
The mother of the seven-year-old girl, Ms. C, said her daughter was hit by shotgun pellets in her arms, legs, and pelvic region, and, “has a pellet lodged in the outer muscle of her heart.”
Ms. C said her daughter was the “happiest sweetest child”, an outgoing, dainty seven-year-old “princess girl” who loved to sing and dance.
She described the pain of hearing her daughter say, while she was in hospital, “Mummy, why is this happening to me?”
Girl Has Developed Car Phobia Since Shooting
“She developed a phobia of cars and loud bangs, which triggers her for a while she did not want to leave the house. In particular, I noticed an increase in her anxiety when she saw a black car,” she added.Also injured was a 12-year-old girl who was hit in the leg, and three other women, aged 21, 41, and 54.
The Labour Party leader, Sir Keir Starmer—in whose constituency it took place—used the incident to call for tougher gun laws. But he has not commented since the men were convicted.
