Croydon Silent Disco Murder Trial Hears of 'Petty Revenge' Shooting
A silent disco partygoer was shot dead in what prosecutors have described as an "act of petty revenge" during a trial at the Old Bailey. Leroy Mitchell, a 35-year-old man, was gunned down outside a headphones party at a house in Croydon, south London, on October 2, 2021.
Fatal Shooting Minutes After Arrival
Prosecutor Joel Smith KC told jurors that Mr Mitchell arrived at the Birdhurst Road venue around 4:30 am. By approximately 4:50 am, he had been fatally shot in the head at close range with a 12-bore shotgun in the car park outside. The swift timeline underscores the brutal and sudden nature of the attack.
Alpacino Veii, 29, known as Alpo, and Cimarron Dume-Gooden, 32, are on trial accused of his murder. Mr Smith stated, "The murder was, it would seem, an act of petty revenge after a fight between Mr Mitchell and the first defendant in this case at a nightclub a couple of years previously."
Trivial Motive Dating Back to 2019
The alleged motive traces back to May 2019, when a fight broke out between their groups at Granaries nightclub in Croydon. Mr Mitchell allegedly hit Veii in the face, and another man was knocked over by a car during the altercation.
Veii reportedly became very upset after his friend was hit by a Volvo and tried to strike the vehicle with a hammer. Upon arrest, a "fuming" Veii claimed to be the victim, saying he had been punched in the face. Mr Mitchell later told a friend he had been in a fight and "knocked out Alpo."
Prosecutors suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns may have delayed the defendants from seeking revenge sooner. In the hours before his death, Mr Mitchell had been at his mother's house, visited Granaries nightclub, and then moved on to the silent disco at 4:30 am.
Chaotic Scene After Gunshot
Jurors heard that a silent disco, or headphones party, is an event where people pay for headphones to listen to music. The alleged killers spent the evening in West Croydon's area known as The Strip and arrived at the venue in a BMW at 2:10 am.
At 4:51 am, revellers heard a bang from the car park that sounded like a firework. As people fled, one stumbled over Mr Mitchell's body on the ground and called 999. Neighbours reportedly heard the gunshot, followed by a woman screaming and a man swearing and shouting, "Help me."
Police arrived, and Mr Mitchell was pronounced dead at 5:26 am. A post-mortem examination confirmed he had been shot once in the head at close range with a 12-bore shotgun.
Alleged Cover-Up and Flight
After the shooting, Veii and Dume-Gooden allegedly fled in the BMW hatchback, which bore false registration plates. By October 6, the car had been torched, along with clothes the defendants had been wearing and Sim cards, in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
They then fled to Somerset, where they "lay low for a few days" before returning to London, hoping they had evaded capture. The shooting itself was not captured on CCTV, but Mr Smith said evidence from traffic cameras and mobile phones indicated Veii and Dume-Gooden were responsible.
Veii, from Southwark, and Dume-Gooden, of Thornton Heath, south London, have denied murder. Kwabena Ofori, 29, of South Norwood, and Issa Souleman, 29, of New Cross, along with Veii and Dume-Gooden, have denied perverting the course of justice between October 1 and 14, 2021.
The Old Bailey trial continues, with the case highlighting the tragic consequences of longstanding disputes and alleged retaliatory violence in London's communities.
