Two men, including a drilling rapper, were shot dead and a third was seriously injured by a gunman in a “joker mask” who broke through garden fences to escape.
Armed police received reports of a fight in progress in east London and shots fired inside a house in Henley Road, Ilford, shortly after midnight on Tuesday.
They arrived to find a 23-year-old man and a 30-year-old man with fatal gunshot wounds and another 30-year-old man seriously injured. The assailant, or assailants, remained at large.
One of the victims has been named locally as a fake rapper who went by the name Giddy. He was reported to have been involved in a fight with a gang from Manor Park, in neighboring Newham.
In the hours after his shooting death, supporters of the rival band posted gleeful comments below Giddy’s music videos on YouTube.
“Manor just turned up the heat,” said one comment, followed by a skull and crossbones emoji.