A man has been charged with the murder of an ice cream seller who was stabbed to death in north west London
Shazad Khan, 41, was pronounced dead at the scene after officers responded to reports of an altercation in Monks Park in Wembley at 6.10pm on Tuesday.
Zaher Zaarour, 26, of North Circular Road, is accused of murdering Mr Khan and possession of a bladed article.
He will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 31-year-old woman arrested at the scene for conspiracy to murder has since been bailed to return in September pending further enquiries.
Local residents said Mr Khan was well known in the area for selling ice creams in a van.
Asim Mahmood Butt, 39, who lives in nearby Tokyngton Avenue, said he was childhood friends with the victim.
Speaking at the scene, he said: “I got a call from one of my cousins.
“This guy, we know him – he’s a famous ice cream guy. He got stabbed yesterday.
“I came here and his body was still here, and police had cordoned off the area.
“I know his brothers as well – they’re all local. We all used to play cricket and football here in Monks Park.
“He started (selling) ice cream about a year ago.”
Mr Butt said the victim was married and had a young daughter.
The victim’s ice cream van, which had been parked on the road at the time of the incident, was well known locally for having a large teddy bear.
A second witness, who did not want to be named, said the ice cream van was towed away from the scene in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A blue forensics tent and a number of Met officers could be seen inside a police cordon in Monks Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Removal vehicles also took away a separate white van and blue car.
Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, local policing commander for north-west London, said: “Our thoughts remain with Shazad’s family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time.
“This incident will rightly cause concern across the community, but intelligence at this stage leads us to believe there is no wider threat to the public.
“Detectives are conducting a thorough and fast-paced investigation, and locals can expect to see an uptick in police presence in the area.
“Anyone with any information – particularly dashcam or doorbell footage from the time of the incident – is urged to speak to us as a matter of urgency.”
