Two men guilty of murdering mother-of-two in drive-by shooting at wake
Two men were convicted of killing a woman in a drive-by shooting and wounding two more people.
Mother-of-two Michelle Sadio, 44, was killed outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north London, on December 14, 2024.
He was among about 100 mourners, including children as young as five, to attend the funeral of 80-year-old Dianne Boatong.
Around 9 p.m., guests were outside on the sidewalk when a black Kia pulled up and shots were fired into the crowd.
Ms. Sadio, the legal administrator, was shot and died at the scene.
Transport for London contractor Kenneth Amoah, 39, was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down; Self-employed Kadeem Francis (32) was shot in the foot.
The intended target was said to be a rapper named Trapstar Toxic, whose real name is Adetokunbo Ajibola (33), who was at the event.
Following an Old Bailey trial, Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, and Amir Salem, 20, were found guilty of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Rapper Shaquille Sutherland, known as Lil Shak, 26, from Wembley, and Tahjin Sommersall, 19, from Feltham, west London, were cleared of offending.
The prosecution had alleged that Mr Sommersall was in the Kia with two other men who fled the country after the incident.
Although it is not known who pulled the trigger at the Kia, at least four shots were fired.
Allen-Thomas, from Wembley in north London, was said to have helped organize the attack but ensured it happened elsewhere at the time.
The Kia used in the attack was stolen and was being driven with a fake license plate.
After the conflict, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire.
Jurors heard that Salem, of Wembley, bought some of the gasoline used to extinguish the fire.
Jurors were told that on the night of the shooting, Salem was in contact with the Kia passengers and notified Allen-Thomas.
It was said that the gun used in the conflict had been used twice in the past months and was a “gang weapon”.
In one of the earlier incidents, a man in a car opened fire on a group of men outside a pizzeria, shooting 11 times and hitting one man in the wrist.
There was no allegation that the defendants were involved in the incident.
Giving evidence at his trial, Mr Sommersall denied being in the Kia and claimed he was on council land in Wembley at the time of the shooting.
The other defendants denied any involvement or knowledge of anything about it.
Following Tuesday’s verdicts, Mrs Justice McGowan remanded the two convicted defendants in custody for sentencing on 19 June.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, of Scotland Yard, said: “Our thoughts are with Michelle’s loved ones. They have been extremely strong and supportive throughout our investigation and I hope today’s outcome gives them some comfort.”
“Without the devoted and diligent work of my team, it would not have been possible to achieve justice today.
“We hope this investigation demonstrates the Met’s determination to pursue high-harm criminals and hold those who commit brazen acts of violence to account.”
