Mitcham killer gets life, with accomplices also sentenced after ‘revenge’ shooting
A man responsible for a fatal shooting in Mitcham in an act of revenge after his friend had been stabbed has been jailed.
Denzel Kwateng, 22, of Parkway, New Addington was found guilty on May 30 of the manslaughter of Tyrese Miller.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on July 4 to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 16 years. Kwateng was also found guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, and perverting the course of justice.
Two other men – Cheick Cisse, 29, of Pawsons Road, Thornton Heath and Mario Serban, 18, of Eltham – were found guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life after police arrested them in possession of the shotgun used in the shooting.
Cisse was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment and Serban was given an 18-month youth rehabilitation order.
The court heard evidence that 22-year-old Tyrese Miller had been fatally shot in Mitcham at around 2.15am on April 4 last year. The killing took place hours after a man known to the defendants had been stabbed in Croydon, shortly before midnight on April 3 – the day before.
Cisse and Serban – then 17 – were seen acting suspiciously in the vicinity of Gloucester Road at around 5.40pm on April 6 and a member of the public called police.
The pair were stopped in a taxi by police a short distance away. Inside the taxi was a shotgun and cartridges, all contained in a bag that detectives had established Kwateng had been carrying on the morning of the shooting.
Officers searched the pair, and the 17-year-old was found to be in possession of a machete while Cisse was also found to be carrying a lock knife.
Forensic analysis of the bag revealed a match for Kwateng’s DNA. Kwateng later admitted being in possession of the gun but claimed it fired accidentally – fatally shooting Tyrese.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley led the investigation and said: “My team carefully pieced together their various movement, using CCTV and other footage along with forensic material and data obtained from mobile devices to cross-check how events unfolded that evening.
“I have spoken with Tyrese’s family and, although the trial has not provided them with the complete picture that they had wished for, I have expressed my sincere hope that they can obtain some degree of comfort from the sentences handed down today.”
Pictured top: Denzel Kwateng (Picture: The Met)