Drill rapper shot dead in Ilford as distressed resident witnesses police carry out CPR on victim

Colin Singh told ITV News he heard twenty gunshots

A resident who lives yards from the spot where two men were shot dead in Ilford said he saw police trying to resuscitate one victim and feared violence was fuelled by a drug war.

Colin Singh told ITV News he heard around "twenty gunshots" and described how violence had become more frequent as tensions flared between rival gangs.

One of the victims has been named locally as drill rapper Giddy.

"The police were out doing CPR on the two men," Colin Singh said.

"I think it’s terrible round here. It might be a drug war.

"A lot of this is going on in Ilford all the time, it needs to change because these gang wars over drugs are depressing everybody.

"I heard gunshots among the fireworks [for Diwali].

"I heard about twenty gunshots, I was watching a film and I came out and there was commotion going on.

"Any passer by who would have got in the way they would have been hit too," he explained.

Police said two men, aged 23 and 30, were killed and a third man, 30, was critically injured in the shooting.

Officers were called to Henley Road at around 12.15am on Tuesday morning following reports of a fight.

They found three men inside an address with gunshot injuries.

The Met Police said the families of both men who died at the scene have been informed but that the force is not yet in a position to confirm their identities.

The third victim was taken to hospital and he remains in a life-threatening condition.

A woman who lives near the scene said the sounds of gunshots were drowned out by fireworks for the Diwali celebrations.

The religious event, the Hindu Festival of Lights, began on Monday.

Shama Ahmad, 50, whose flat is just yards from where the two men were shot, said: “I live in a flat upstairs here, I heard some screaming, shouting, and I was a bit shaken by the screams but this is very common around by this area.

“I just looked from my window upstairs and the police and the helicopter above.

“There was fireworks going right in front of my flat, so with the fireworks the shots weren’t heard at all.

“There was this celebration, Diwali thing, going on, and fireworks so you couldn’t hear the shots.

“I live around the corner here and I’m a bit wary, me and my family are concerned about this.”

The Met said the investigation is ongoing and they are carrying out urgent inquiries to trace a number of suspects but there have been no arrests.

Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council, called for more police as he spoke to reporters at the scene.

He said: “I think more police across the whole of the capital, these are numbers that have been cut over successive governments, we have to make sure we get the police here.

“We have been complaining about this in my role as London Councils lead on crime and community safety, I made that plea to the new Metropolitan Police commissioner only last week and he agrees that we need more police.”

He added: “I think sometimes these things build up over time and that’s where the police is needed to stop that building up over time and I think if we could get that we would be in a better place.”

Metropolitan Police Inspector Dave Holgate said his thoughts are with the families as he appealed for information.

Speaking at the scene, he said: “Tragically two men lost their lives this morning and another was seriously injured following an appalling act of violence right here in Ilford.

“There are a number of crime scenes in place and we thank local residents for their understanding and co-operation while our forensic and specialist crime colleagues do their job.

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