Four men jailed for life for shooting and stabbing 17-year-old boy

Four men have been jailed for a total of 79 years for the fatal shooting and stabbing of a 17-year-old boy and the attempted murder of another man in Tottenham in 2023.

Leo Reid, 21, of Tulse Hill, Lambeth, Rhys Antwi, 20, of Prentis Road, Lambeth, Kalam Bagge, 19, of Nimrod Road, Lambeth, and Tyrese Barnett, 20, of Moyers Road, Newham, were all sentenced to life in prison at the Old Bailey yesterday, for the murder of Tyler McDermott.

Reid and Antwi were also found guilty of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, and Barnett was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and attempted murder.

Following a three-month trial, the jury concluded that Antwi and Bagge assisted or encouraged Barnett and Reid to carry out the fatal attack.

Two other men, now aged 20 and 21, also stood trial and were acquitted of Tyler’s murder.

The jury heard that Tyler and his friend left a music recording studio in the early hours of April, 13, 2023, when he was shot and then stabbed by a group of men. 

The prosecution’s case argued that tensions began to arise after one of the defendants became upset at being filmed inside the studio. This resulted in a confrontation outside the studio and led to Tyler’s murder.

A murder investigation was launched after police were called at around 4.30am on April 13 to Norman Road, Tottenham.

Officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended the scene and found Tyler suffering from a gunshot injury to the head. He was taken to hospital for treatment but sadly died the next day.

Detectives discovered that Barnett had shot Tyler and then Reid had struck him with a large machete when he was already lying on the floor with gunshot injuries.

A post-mortem examination confirmed he died as a result of a gunshot wound. 

The jury heard that Barnett had also shot at Tyler’s friend, but missed. Tyler’s friend was not harmed.

CCTV footage from inside and outside the recording studio on the night of the attack showed Antwi arming himself with a sword underneath his clothes inside the studio just before the shooting. The same sword was recovered from his address in Streatham. 

Bagge, who was in possession of a knife, was also captured on CCTV footage inside the studio just before the murder and had seen Barnett with a gun.

Detective Inspector Devan Taylor, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “My thoughts remain with Tyler’s family, who have remained dignified throughout this lengthy process.

“I commend them for the way they have carried themselves during these extremely difficult few months. I know they are absolutely devastated to have lost him in such tragic circumstances.

“Nothing will bring Tyler back, but I hope the sentences handed down to these individuals will help provide his friends and family with some form of closure. No family should ever have to suffer the loss of a loved one.

“An innocent young life was lost in such a cold and senseless way. These young men had a choice that night and – for reasons only known to them they chose to resort to violence.”

Pictured top: Tyler McDermott, 17, who was fatally shot in Tottenham last year (Picture: The Met)