Police release two men arrested in connection with Kilburn shooting of nursery teacher Sabrina Moss on her birthday

Sabrina Moss, 24, died in hospital after being involved in the double shooting

The grief-stricken parents of a young mother shot dead while out celebrating her 24th birthday have paid tribute to their “fun loving girl”.

Sabrina Moss, a nursery teacher from Neasden, north west London, died in hospital from a single gunshot wound to the chest inflicted in the early hours of Saturday morning in Kilburn, also in north-west London.

Her friend, 24, was also taken to hospital with gunshot wounds where her condition was said to be stable, the Met Police said on Sunday night. Two men arrested by police have been released without further action. 

Ms Moss’s parents John and Andrea Moss said: “Sabrina was a fun-loving girl who made friends wherever she went. She was a lovely daughter and a perfect mother to her young son, whom she adored. She cherished working as a nursery teacher and treasured working with the children, who undoubtedly will miss her dearly.”

“We urge anyone with any information to contact the police to help catch those responsible. We now ask the media to respect our wishes and allow us the privacy we need to begin to rebuild our lives.”

Officers were called at 4.12am on Saturday to reports of shots fired in Kilburn High Road, at the junction with Messina Avenue.

Scotland Yard believes was a case of mistaken identity. Both women were “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, detectives have said.

A post-mortem examination on Sunday revealed that Ms Moss had died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin, who is leading the investigation, said: “Inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this tragic incident. At this early stage, I believe the two women were innocent parties who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

He added: “I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the shooting or who saw anything suspicious in the Kilburn area to call police. In particular, I need to hear from anyone who saw two males who came into the High Road from Messina Avenue and, after the shooting, make off on foot back along Messina Avenue.”

Two weeks ago, Ms Moss tweeted that she would not be going out on her birthday, but apparently changed her mind. She wrote: “2 weeks till my bday, decided I’m stayin in that night can’t be bothered with bdays no more gettin 2 old 4 all dat anyway.”

Tributes to the nursery teacher were posted on social networking sites in the wake of her death, with many users reporting that she had a young son. Adjei Adu wrote: “My heart goes out to her family and the lil one she’s left behind, sleep well Sabrina Moss.”

Leila Hassan tweeted: “My Thoughts Are With Your Family... A Beautiful Young Woman, Mother and Daughter!” Another tweet read: “Lost the cousin I was close with when I was a child ... RIP Sabrina Moss.”