A CHARITY is offering a £20,000 reward for information on the mysterious unsolved murder of a “gentle” teenager.
David Adegbite was just 18 when he was found shot dead in an East London car park five years ago.
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He had been visiting friends at St Ann’s, a residential estate in Barking, when he was murdered on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
Detectives have long believed David – whose family said his killing “left a vacuum in our heart” – was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity.
Police, firearms officers and paramedics from London Ambulance Service, rushed to the scene off Gascoigne Road at about 7.10pm and found David with a gunshot wound.
His friend had already attempted CPR on the young man – who was planning to study computer science at university – following the shooting.
He was taken by London’s Air Ambulance to an East London hospital where he was tragically pronounced dead at 10.25pm.
Detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command continue to investigate David’s murder but no charges have ever been made.
But now Crimestoppers, a charity independent from the police, is offering up the huge reward to help solve the murder of David.
Alexa Loukas, London Regional Manager at the charity, said: “There remain crucial questions over this appalling murder, which is why we are supporting the police to help find who was responsible for this young man’s killing.
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“An innocent victim, his family and friends along with the wider community need to see justice happen… Now is your chance to do the right thing for David.”
Detective Inspector Emma Sharp, who leads the investigation, added: “He was a popular and much-loved young man who had his whole life ahead of him and that has been cruelly taken from him.
“David’s killer is still out there – help us bring his family some closure by finding those responsible.”
In a statement, David’s devastated family said: “Our son David left a vacuum in our heart and home since he departed from this world.
“We want to appeal to anyone who has information about the people responsible for his death to come forward.”
They had previously said David “was a gentle boy who loved to help and support people.”
A 2021 inquest into the young man’s murder found he had been “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, the Barking and Dagenham Post reported.
A forensic team found a bullet and bullet casing at the scene while a knife was also discovered in an alleyway at St Ann’s Square.
During the inquest, the court was told keen sportsman David, a student at NewVIc College in Plaistow, was planning to study computer science at university.
Crimestoppers guarantees that you will stay 100 percent anonymous when you contact them via freephone 0800 555 111 or through their website crimestoppers-uk.org.
You will never be asked to give any of your personal details and they can’t trace your phone number or IP address when providing them information online.
The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to the charity and not the police – you need to ask for a reward code when calling Crimestoppers.
