Murdered girl shot in the back
A seven-year-old girl killed in north London was shot in the back as she fled, police believe.
Toni-Ann Byfield and her father Bertram, 41, were both murdered in a suspected Yardie shooting. They were discovered at their bedsit in Harrow Road, Kensal Green, at 0030 BST on Sunday.
Both were found still alive after neighbours reported hearing shots, but later died of their wounds in hospital.
Detectives investigating the case believe Toni-Ann was shot to stop her identifying the killer as she attempted to escape.
Officers at Scotland Yard’s Operation Trident – dedicated to tackling black on black crime in London – are investigating the shooting
Toni-Ann had only just arrived in the UK from Jamaica, and was due to start school. Her murder apparently has made her the youngest victim of Yardie violence in Britain.
Detective Chief Superintendent John Coles, head of Trident, said: “Mr Byfield was shot several times and his daughter once in the back.
“I assume that she was trying to run away from the gunman.”
“It is without doubt the most evil and despicable crime I have come across in all my service,” he added.
Mr Byfield had received a nine-year sentence for cocaine dealing and was released from prison two years ago and is known to have links with Jamaican gangs in the UK.
He had survived a previous attack in 2002 in which he was shot six times.
