There have been dozens of murders linked to drill music, since it arrived in London from Chicago a decade ago.
Here is just a sample of some of the most significant cases.
April 2017—Abdullahi Tarabi, 19, was stabbed to death in Northolt, north west London. He was better known as drill artist Teewhiz from the 156 crew. Two teenagers were later acquitted of his murder.
April 2019—Calvin Bungisa, 22, was stabbed to death in Kentish Town, north London. He was known as drill artist Ceemizz and was associated with the 51st gang in Camden. Unsolved.
April 2019—Noore Bashid Salad, 22, known as Nizz, was shot and stabbed by a gang in Manor Park, east London. Nizz was associated with a Manor Park gang and his killers are believed to have been from the Drillford gang in Ilford. Unsolved.
July 2019—Craig Small, 32, was shot dead outside a shop in Wembley, north west London. Small, known as Smallz, was a drill rapper with the Usual Suspects Gang (USG) from Stonebridge. A man awaits trial for the murder later this year.
July 2019—Kwasi Mensah-Ababio, 26, was shot dead on a park bench in Wembley, north west London. Three men were jailed for life for murder. The trial heard the killers, from the USG gang, mistook the victim for a member of the gang who were believed to have killed Mr. Small a few days earlier.
Aug. 2019—Alex Smith, 16, was stabbed to death in central London. He was better known as Culprit and was part of the Cumbo gang. In May 2023 Tariq Monteiro, 23, and Siyad Mohamud, 24, were jailed for life for the murder. Monteiro—drill artist Suspect—was part of the Active Gxng.
Nov. 2019—Mohammed Usman Mirza, 19, known as Speckz, was stabbed to death outside a block of flats in Ilford, east London. His killers were said to be from the Drillford gang. Four men were jailed for life for murder and another three given long sentences for manslaughter.
Dec. 2019—Crosslon Davis, 20, a rapper known as Bis, was stabbed to death in Deptford, south-east London. Davis was a “highly regarded” drill artist and member of the Harlem Spartan collective based in Kennington, south London. Two men were later jailed for life for murder.
Oct. 2020—Tamba Momodu, 20, was shot dead in Telford, Shropshire. He was better known as Teerose and was one of those acquitted of murdering Teewhiz. Associated with gang in Rayners Lane, north west London. Unsolved.
Jeremiah Sewell (L), who was murdered by Godfrey Madondo (R)—a drill artist better known as Gully—in a park in Beckenham, south London on July 16, 2022. Family handout/Metropolitan Police
July 2022—Jeremiah Sewell, 19, from Beckenham, was stabbed to death in a park by Godfrey Madondo, a drill artist known as Gully, who was from YPB in Peckham. Jailing Madondo for life last month, Judge Nigel Lickley said: “To carry out such a savage killing for the sake of geographical rivalry is difficult to comprehend.”
Oct. 2022—Saydi Abu Sheikh, 23, a drill rapper better known as Giddy, and his cousin, Zakariya Jeilani Mohamed, 32, were shot dead in Ilford, east London by attackers disguised in burkas. Giddy was a member of the Drillford drill gang. Five men are due to go on trial this autumn.
Nov. 2022—Lemar Urquhart, 27, was shot dead in Brixton. He was better known as rapper Perm and had performed a drill track, 3 Outta Ride, which included lyrics which insulted 16 Shotz. Unsolved.
Jan. 2023—Fernando Johnson, 23, was stabbed to death in Acton, west London. He was a drill artist called Fdot who was part of the 12 Anti drill collective, from Shepherds Bush, whose arch-enemies are the 3rd, from Acton. Unsolved.
