A BABY-FACED assassin who rode off on a bicycle after shooting dead a gang rival was being hunted by police. Witnesses said the killer, who looked to be only 14, opened fire outside a playground. The victim was named locally as 25-year-old Edward Simpson. Police had declared him a fugitive from an investigation three months […]
A BABY-FACED assassin who rode off on a bicycle after shooting dead a gang rival was being hunted by police.
Witnesses said the killer, who looked to be only 14, opened fire outside a playground.
The victim was named locally as 25-year-old Edward Simpson. Police had declared him a fugitive from an investigation three months ago. Neighbours heard his terrified screams as the gunman struck in Feltham, West London, at 11pm on Friday night.
They said the blast shook the walls of their homes. One said: “He was shot right next to the playground. I last saw him only hours earlier and he looked like he’d been beaten up. I think he had lots of enemies.”
Police appealed for help in finding Simpson in March. He was wanted for “harassment offences”.
It was understood he was subsequently arrested — but then released. Another neighbour said: “He mixed with the wrong kind of people.
“My house shook from the blast so I think it must have been a shotgun. I’ve lived here for 34 years — but I won’t be living here any more if it stays like this.”
The dead man’s mum, Alison, said yesterday: “I’ve been woken up at five o’clock this morning to be told my son’s been shot. There’s a cold-blooded murderer out there. My happy-go-lucky boy is gone.”
Mr Simpson is the sixth murder victim in London in just over a week.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “A murder investigation has been launched after a man was fatally shot. No arrests have been made at this stage.
“Inquiries into the full circumstances continue.”
