Four Men Jailed for ‘Callous’ Drive-By Shooting at Memorial Service

Four Men Incarcerated for Heartless Drive-By Shooting During Memorial Ceremony

April 12, 2024 TruthUSA

Four men have been jailed for their roles in a drive-by shooting in which six women and girls were injured at a memorial service outside a church in London.

Kingston-Upon-Thames (via videolink)— Four men have been jailed for their role in a gang drive-by shooting at a memorial service outside a church in central London in January 2023, which led to four women and two young girls being seriously injured.

A victim impact statement from one of the women—who was hit by more than 100 shotgun pellets and spent four months in hospital—was read to Kingston Crown Court on Friday, in which she said the men’s “callous actions” had “turned her life upside down.”

The gang fired a sawn-off shotgun packed with birdshot at a crowd of mourners who were about to release doves following a memorial service for Fresia Calderon, 50, and her daughter, Sara Sanchez, 20, at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Euston.

At the time of the shooting, there was speculation the shooting was linked to Colombian drugs cartels.

But the trial heard the attack was perpetrated by members of the Agar Grove gang in Camden—sometimes known as the Active Gxng—who were targeting rivals from the Cumbo gang, who were attending the memorial service.

Tyrell La Croix, 23, Alrico Nelson-Martin, 20, Jordan Walters, 24, and Jashy Perch, 20, were convicted of conspiracy to wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a trial at Kingston Crown Court.

La Croix, a drill rapper known as T-Scam, was jailed for 21 years.

Nelson-Martin, who was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, was jailed for 14 years.

Perch was jailed for 16 years and Walters for 12 years.

Gang Went Out to ‘Celebrate’ After Shooting

The judge, Mr. Justice Bryant-Heron, said La Croix, Nelson-Martin and Perch went out to “celebrate” and “party” after the shooting.

He said, “You considered it a successful, violent strike against a rival gang … It was a show of strength.”

The judge said La Croix showed a “chilling lack of empathy,” and police intelligence suggested he was a leading member of the Agar Grove gang.

Mr. Justice Bryant-Heron said one of the injured women had ironically moved to Britain from Colombia 30 years to escape gun violence and he said the incident “shattered” that feeling of safety she had since arriving in London.

It remains unclear why the Crown Prosecution Service chose not to charge La Croix and the others with attempted murder.