Sharmake Mohamud murder, Green Lanes, Haringey: Video shows killers celebrating

Video released by the Met Police shows five people celebrating after a man was gunned down in the street.

The footage shows gang members hugging and shaking hands after they murdered 22-year-old Sharmake Mohamud in Green Lanes, Haringey, on September 21, 2021.

Five people have been convicted for their part in the Haringey murder - all of them involved in the planning and execution of the attack.

Ali Ceesay, 29, of no fixed address pleaded guilty on February 21 to murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.

Following the conclusion of a trial at the Old Bailey on Tuesday (March 28), four more people were found guilty of murder and two counts of GBH with intent:

• Mehdi Younes, 22, of Bowes Road, Haringey.
• Abdul Mohamed, 26, of Tottenhall Road.
• Two males – both aged 17 – who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Rasit Musa, from north London, was acquitted of the same offences and the jury were unable to reach a verdict with regards to a third 17-year-old male.

The five convicted people will be sentenced on a date to be set.

Met Police

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “This was a planned attack, the motivation for which is not entirely clear. However, the group set out that night with the intention of finding and doing serious harm to anyone they perceived to be from a rival group.

“The group drove to Green Lanes in a stolen car. Whether Sharmake was their intended target all along has not been established but when they saw him walking down the street they focused their lethal intent on him.”

The attack in the Harringay Ladder

The court heard that all five males congregated in an alleyway just over two miles away from the murder scene on September 21, 2021. Throughout the afternoon and evening members of the group arrived as preparation for the attack took place.

At shortly before 8.15pm, Rasit Musa was alleged to have driven a stolen Jaguar car to a nearby secluded car park off Oakthorpe Road and left it there before returning to the others at the alleyway.

At around 9.25pm, a stolen Ford Galaxy arrived at the alleyway. Various members of the group handed their mobile phones to Mehdi Younes, who passed over a large machete and black plastic bag containing a petrol can.

Police said the plan was for Younes to hang on to the phones so those carrying out the attack could not be linked to the crime scene.

At shortly before 10pm all of the group, except for Younes, got into the Ford Galaxy and were driven to where a stolen Jaguar was parked in a secluded car park off Oakthorpe Road. They got into the Jaguar and drove around two miles down Green Lanes, parking close to the junction with Fairfax Road.

At around 10.30pm, Sharmake was walking along the pavement. Ali Ceesay and one of the 17-year-olds got out of the car and ran towards him, with Ceesay discharging a handgun. Sharmake was struck at least twice with bullets.

Two other men, who were in the vicinity, were also struck by bullets.

The aftermath

After the shooting, both males jumped back into the car, which was driven away. The group from the Jaguar returned to the alleyway and CCTV captured the two 17-year-olds attempting to set light to latex gloves they had been wearing in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Younes was waiting for them and returned their phones. Upon receiving his mobile telephone from Younes, Abdul Mohamed made a call, after which the group embraced in what police said “can only be interpreted as an act of celebration following the attack”.

The Jaguar was driven to a service road off Oakthorpe Road, where an attempt was made to set it alight. This was only partially successful and when the car was recovered by police, incriminating items were found inside. These included a tracksuit with one 17-year-old’s DNA on it, as well as traces of gunshot residue, a partially burnt pair of trainers with that 17-year-old’s DNA on them and a machete sheath.

A number of latex gloves were found close to the scene of the car fire, they contained the DNA of Ceesay and Mohamed. Found in the same location was a disposable face mask containing Ceesay’s DNA.

On September 23, the Ford Galaxy was stopped after being seen to drive erratically on Crofts Lane. While police were unaware of its involvement in Sharmake’s murder at this point, the car was found to be on false plates and was seized. Those inside, including the two 17-year-olds were arrested.

In the meantime, Ceesay had travelled to Gambia but was arrested on his return to the UK on October 27, 2021. Police said he could offer no reasonable explanation for the presence of his DNA at the scene where the Jaguar had been set alight, or for his movements when shown various CCTV clips. He was subsequently charged with Sharmake’s murder and the attempted murder of two other men.

Younes and Mohamed were subsequently arrested on 18 November 2021.

‘Meticulous investigation’

DCI Jolley said: “This was a meticulous investigation which used a combination of forensic evidence, phone work and CCTV tracking to conclusively prove the role all five had in this violent attack.

“While Ceesay was the person who fired the fatal shots, all five were implicitly involved in the murder. None of them can deny that they knew the intent that night was to cause serious harm to someone and they all played their part in the fatal outcome.

“Sharmake’s family have been devastated by his murder and have shown tremendous strength and courage to support this investigation. I can only hope that these convictions will bring them some small sense of justice.”