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East Finchley shooting: Mother-of-nine and nephew shot dead in London named

Victims were shot in case of mistaken identity, family claims

Harry Cockburn
Thursday 15 September 2016 14:28 EDT
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Bervil Ekofo and his mother Maymie Botamba. Mr Ekofo was shot dead at his aunt's house in East Finchley
Bervil Ekofo and his mother Maymie Botamba. Mr Ekofo was shot dead at his aunt's house in East Finchley (PA)

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The victims of a shooting in north London have been named as Anny Ekofo, a mother of nine, and her nephew Bervil Ekofo.

The pair were shot dead in Ms Ekofo’s home in Elmshurst Crescent, East Finchley, at around 6.25am on Thursday.

Five men burst into the flat and shot Ms Ekofo, 52, before shooting her 21-year-old nephew, relatives said.

Ms Ekofo’s husband and several of her children were also in the property at the time.

Mr Ekofo’s sister said her brother was shot while he was asleep in a case of mistaken identity.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, she said: “He was in bed. Anny answered the door to the gang, they shot her and then shot Bervil while he was asleep on the couch. There had been someone staying at the house who was on the run from someone but had moved on.

“They were targeting him but got my brother instead. It was a case of mistaken identity. My brother was never in any trouble he was just staying at his auntie’s house. It was wrong place wrong time.”

The shooting has sparked a man hunt for the gunman who remains on the run.

No arrests have yet been made.

Residents were woken by at least three ambulances and five police cars arriving at the incident, with emergency services cordoning off the road.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said a man and a woman with gunshot wounds were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, adding: “Enquiries into the circumstances continue.”

Scotland Yard has recorded 1,958 gun crime incidents in London in the past year - a 2 per cent annual rise - including 79 in the borough of Barnet, which includes East Finchley.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

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