Two drill rappers have been convicted of murdering an 18-year-old man in a drive-by shooting following a dispute on Snapchat. Emmanuel Popoola, 18, and Teyvon Etefia, 18, both from Enfield, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday of murder and possession of a self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life.
The shooting
On June 26 last year, Popoola shot Keanu Harker in the head and chest with a pistol after chasing him on a high-powered electric dirt bike ridden by Etefia. Prosecutor Louise Oakley KC told jurors: "The speed of the Sur-Ron bike meant they gained ground on Keanu Harker very quickly and, as they rode alongside him, Emmanuel Popoola shot him. He fired three shots from a very short distance. Two of them struck Keanu Harker in the head and chest. Tayvon Etefia did not flinch."
Keanu fell off his bicycle and crawled into a front garden off the Great Cambridge Road, where he died at the scene. The killers fled, dumped the e-bike, discarded their clothes, and Etefia disposed of a machete in a neighbour's garden.
Gang rivalry and social media
The murder was motivated by a row on Snapchat, where voice messages implied Popoola could not afford mobile data. The killing occurred amid rivalry between two Enfield gangs: the 3×3 gang and the Get Money Gang (GMG). After the murder, gang members bragged about it in drill rap videos. Popoola performed under the name Constancy and Etefia under Take Risks.
Escape and arrest
The pair attempted to flee to France. Popoola boarded a one-way Eurostar to Paris with help from his girlfriend Anais King, 19. Etefia was arrested by police two minutes before his train departed from London St Pancras. Popoola was later arrested in Paris after French police followed King to his apartment. He was extradited to London.
Verdicts
Popoola denied involvement but was implicated by Etefia, who claimed he did not know Popoola had a gun. After a week of deliberation, jurors also convicted Eliezer Mbaki, 25, from Tottenham; King; and a 17-year-old youth of perverting the course of justice. Following the verdicts, Keanu's family said: "Our son had just turned 18 when these individuals decided to take his life. We hope this case opens people's eyes to how damaging gang culture has become for young people."
Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card described a "painstaking" investigation, stating: "Keanu was murdered because his killers took offence to something said in a social media group chat. This was cowardly and disproportionate violence." Sentencing for Popoola and Etefia is set for Thursday and Friday, with other defendants to be sentenced later.
