A gunman who opened fire at a packed motorcycle meet-up in west London, leaving a teenager fighting for his life with a bullet lodged in his neck, has been jailed for 27 years.
Sentencing and Conviction
Emad Al-Haj Shareef, 22, of Norman Crescent, Hounslow, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Monday (May 11) after being found guilty of attempted murder over the shooting of a 19-year-old man in Hayes.
Detectives traced him through CCTV footage that captured the moment he rode into the busy gathering on a motorbike and opened fire, striking the victim at close range. Further footage showed Shareef riding away from the incident towards his home, where he was arrested two days later.
Investigation Details
Detective Constable Paulina Rosol, who led the investigation, said: "This case displays the consequences of gun violence, which can spill out onto our streets." She highlighted that the Met continues to tackle firearm use in the capital, with the number of victims of lethal gunshot wounds reduced by 27 per cent in the last year.
"Shareef went as far as to hide the weapon he used in a stolen vehicle, from which officers also seized the jacket he wore during the attack. This jacket was later found to have gunshot residue on it, directly implicating Shareef and shattering his facade of innocence," Rosol added.
"Last year alone we saw a 75 per cent increase in the number of firearms taken off London’s streets. We will continue to target those who carry them and use violence to threaten our communities."
Incident Timeline
Staff at Hillingdon Hospital alerted officers shortly after midnight on August 15 last year that a patient had been brought in claiming he had been shot. Hours earlier, at a motorcycle gathering attended by hundreds, the victim approached Shareef, who he did not know but was part of the same group.
Shareef threatened the victim, who ran away. The gunman pursued him on his motorcycle before firing at close range, with a bullet lodging in the victim's neck. The gunman was arrested on August 24 and charged with attempted murder after officers trawled through CCTV footage and conducted interviews with witnesses.
The firearm used in the shooting and a magazine were found in a stolen vehicle and were seized, along with the vehicle itself. Shareef was also placed at the scene of the shooting by extensive phone and social media investigation. A video uploaded by him on Snapchat was also obtained early in the investigation, in which he recorded the gathering earlier in the day at Piccadilly Circus.
