Metropolitan Police detectives have launched a murder investigation after a 19-year-old man was shot in the head in a north London street.
Emergency services were called to Hornsey Rise Gardens in Islington at around 4.20pm on Tuesday, after police received reports of gunshots in the area.
Scotland Yard said the teenager – who was found with a gunshot injury to his head – was airlifted to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
An investigation has now been launched by detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who are looking for information into the circumstances of the shooting.
Police said that a 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon, and he is currently in custody at a north London police station.
Shocked residents in the Crouch Hill area, in the London borough of Islington, reported hearing three shots on Tuesday afternoon.
“We heard three gun shots but we didn’t realise they were gun shots,” one told the MyLondon website. “We thought [people were] nicking my car. I heard my neighbour opposite saying that someone had a gun.”
The shooting took place only 100 metres away from the nearby Hornsey Day Nursery.
Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the leader of Islington Council, said: “We are shocked and saddened by the death of a 19-year-old man following a shooting in Hornsey Rise Gardens yesterday evening.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the victim at this extremely distressing and challenging time.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are investigating and enquiries into the circumstances of the incident are ongoing.”
