Family of man shot dead ‘by mistake’ appeal for witnesses
THE family of a man who was mistakenly shot dead in Shepherd’s Bush have said their loss ‘will be felt forever’ as they make a fresh public appeal for information.
Alexander Kareem was fatally shot in Shepherd’s Bush in June, in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity.
In the early hours of the morning on Monday, June 8, at around 12.40am, Alexander was shot on Askew Road in Shepherd’s Bush, as he rode an e-scooter to a friend’s house.
A white Range Rover was found burned out 25 minutes after the shooting, just over three miles away in Ascott Avenue, and Metropolitan Police detectives have carried out a large CCTV operation to try to track down the vehicle.
On what would have been his 21st birthday (March 25), Alexander’s family released the following statement, in a fresh appeal for information:
“Today should have been a day full of celebration, a day we would have spoken about how proud we were of the young man Alex had become.
“We would have been talking about his time at university, he would have new friends to tell us about, be full to the brim with new knowledge from his course in computer science and be discussing his future plans.
“Loss of the bright and passionate young brother, son and friend he was, but also at a loss as we still need information which will help the police find who killed Alex.
“March 25 was once such a happy day and it is now marked by sadness, a constant reminder that we have lost such an important part of our lives.
“Our loss will be felt forever, nothing
can bring Alex back, but you can help us start to heal by coming forward with information.
“If you know what happened, if you know who did this, please do the decent thing and contact the police or Crimestoppers.
“Someone in the community knows who killed him, they know who pulled the trigger so ruthlessly and unnecessarily at our gentle and caring Alex.”
“We are so grateful to the community who have supported us throughout this investigation and for those who have come forward with information so far.
“Make the call, do it today so we can start to look forward.
“These individuals who robbed Alex of his bright future need to be found.
“We wait, with broken hearts, for that information to come through and potentially give us closure. Let’s do this together, as a community, to help bring justice for Alex.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, urged anyone with information to call Crimestoppers, which they can do completely anonymously.
Crimestoppers have a £10,000 reward in place for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Alexander’s murder.
DCI Jolley said: “Alexander’s 21st birthday is a reminder to us all of the extraordinary loss that his family and the community feel.
“We understand the community will be feeling apprehensive but I want to reassure you that we are determined to bring those involved to justice.
“We need your help to solve this, please get in touch if you have any information.
“Don’t hesitate, make the call.” Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 quoting the reference CAD 224/08JUN, or Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.