A teenage girl pleaded with her friend to call her mother as she lay fatally wounded in a London street, a murder trial has heard.
The Tragic Night in Northumberland Park
Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, aged 17, was an unintended victim of a drive-by shooting on Chalgrove Road in Tottenham on the evening of 2 April 2018. The Old Bailey heard that the teenager was with friends when a passing car opened fire.
In a statement read to the court, her friend Jace Stockley described the harrowing seconds. "I heard Tanesha shout: 'Jace, duck!', and I heard gunshots," Ms Stockley said. She ducked and then heard Tanesha cry out: "Jace, I've been shot."
Ms Stockley ran to her friend, who fell into her arms. Tanesha's final words were a repeated plea: "Call my mum. Call my mum." The entire shooting incident lasted only a matter of seconds, occurring at roughly 9.30pm.
"Everyone liked Tanesha – no one would hurt her. She has not done anything that would cause anyone to shoot her," Ms Stockley's statement concluded.
Gang Rivalry and the Prosecution Case
Michael Clarke, 36, from Wood Green, is on trial for Tanesha's murder and for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. Prosecutors allege he was in the vehicle from which the fatal shot was fired.
The court was told the shooting was a "ride-out" from Wood Green into Northumberland Park territory. Prosecutors outlined a "longstanding enmity" between two north London gangs: the Northumberland Park Killers (NPK) and the Wood Green Mob (WGM).
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said the attack was retaliation for an assault on Marcus La Croix, also known as Bobby Slater, a close associate of the defendant. La Croix was attacked by a group with links to the NPK in Farringdon on 1 April 2018, the day before Tanesha was killed.
"The prosecution case is that this defendant was a close associate of Marcus La Croix, so close that he would be prepared to and was the first to act in the event that La Croix was attacked or publicly humiliated, and that is precisely what he did," Ms Ledward told jurors.
The prosecution alleges a self-loading pistol was discharged three times on Chalgrove Road, intending to cause death or serious injury, though Tanesha may not have been the intended target.
Trial Continues Amid Denials
Michael Clarke has denied all charges against him. Jurors have heard he insists he was not in the vehicle from which the shots were fired.
The trial at the Old Bailey continues, examining the tragic chain of events that led to the death of an innocent teenager caught in the crossfire of gang violence.
