The father of a 16-year-old boy fatally shot outside a leisure centre issued a heartfelt plea today for more stop and search to end the “horrendous killings” on London’s streets.
It came as Scotland Yard renewed an appeal for help to catch the killer of the teenage victim, Amaan Shakoor, who was gunned down at the Walthamstow centre two months ago.
Amaan’s father Mohammed Shakoor, 48, said his death had devastated their family. He told how his son had just “popped out” to meet friends after a meal on the evening of April 2, saying he would be back soon.
Mr Shakoor, a welfare reform officer for Waltham Forest council, said: “I will never forget hearing those words ‘Amaan has been shot’ for as long as I live. I find it hard to remember a lot after that, it all seemed to happen so quickly. Going to the scene, being at the hospital, talking to the doctors... being told there was no hope, being told that my beautiful son was surely going to die.”
He added: “You are never prepared for something like this, we still cannot believe that it has happened. His mother is particularly bad. You hear about these things on TV but you don’t think it will happen to you.”
Amaan, a pupil at Kelmscott School and the youngest of four siblings, was standing outside the centre in Markhouse Road at about 10pm when he was approached by two hooded youths and shot in the face. He died the next day in hospital. He was the tenth teenager to be murdered in London this year. He was killed on the same night as 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne who was shot dead in Tottenham.
Police say there is no link between the two murders.
Mr Shakoor said: “Amaan was a quiet boy, kind-hearted. He was just a normal teenager who liked films and meeting his friends. As far as I am concerned he was not involved in gangs or drugs.
“As a parent you make sure your children have everything they need so they do not have to look elsewhere. I did my best to do that. We have seen a real increase in crimes in this area this year. With the postcode wars you can be a regular teenager in the wrong area and suddenly you are a target, that is what is happening.
“I think the police should do more stop and search because these individuals are carrying weapons. If we can put the fear into them to stop carrying weapons maybe we can reduce these horrendous crimes. They are happening literally every day.”
The family said in a statement that “we have been handed a life sentence due to the senseless murder of our beloved child.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Holmes, leading the investigation, said: “Somebody out there has the information we need to complete the puzzle — for the sake of Amaan’s family, tell us what you know so that we can bring the offenders to justice.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 020 8345 1570 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
