A drill rapper was arrested on a Eurostar train bound for Paris just two minutes before its scheduled departure, in connection with the fatal shooting of a teenage rival. Tayvon Etefia, 18, was apprehended at London St Pancras station as authorities closed in on him and his accomplice, Emmanuel Popoola, also 18, for the murder of Keanu Harker.
Harker was fatally shot in the head and chest on the evening of June 26 last year in Enfield, north London. The prosecution stated that the shooting occurred during a gang dispute fueled by social media exchanges that implied Popoola lacked funds for mobile phone data. The court heard that the defendants used a high-powered electric dirt bike to chase Harker before Popoola fired a pistol at close range.
Following the shooting, both Etefia and Popoola fled the scene, discarding their clothing and weapons. They were seen wearing balaclavas despite the warm weather. A woman reported seeing one of the men with a gun-shaped object in his pocket. They were subsequently picked up by another drill rapper, Eliezer Mbaki, before a then-16-year-old collected the discarded e-bike.
Both Etefia and Popoola attempted to flee the country. Popoola, who performed under the drill rap name Constancy, managed to board a Eurostar to Paris on June 28, with his ticket purchased by his girlfriend, Anais King. Etefia, known as Take Risks, booked a ticket for the following day's service. Police intercepted Etefia's train just minutes before it was set to depart.
Popoola was eventually tracked down in Paris. French authorities, working with London police and alerted by King's subsequent travel plans to join Popoola, arrested him at an apartment. King was arrested in London on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Both Etefia and Popoola were found guilty of murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life at the Old Bailey. Mbaki, King, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named were convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Keanu Harker's family expressed their grief, stating, "Our son had just turned 18 when these individuals decided to take his life. We are grateful that some measure of justice has been served, but no amount of time they spend in prison will ever be enough for us. We have been left with a lifetime of pain and loss that can never be undone." They also appealed for change to combat the damaging effects of gang culture on young people.
Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card described the investigation as "painstaking," noting that the murder stemmed from "something that was said in a social media group chat." She characterized the shooting as "cowardly and disproportionate violence." Etefia and Popoola are scheduled for sentencing, with other defendants to be sentenced at a later date.