Enfield shooting: Three arrested after man killed in London street

Victim pronounced dead at scene on street shortly after police arrive

The victim died on St Joseph's Road in Enfield, shortly after officers arrived at the scene. (Google Maps)

A man has been gunned down in north London, police said, adding that three men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.

Scotland Yard said officers were called to reports of a man suffering a gunshot wound in Enfield at about 9.15pm on Tuesday night. The victim, whose age is not yet known, was pronounced dead at the scene around an hour later.

There were no reports of any other injuries.

London’s homicide toll for 2018 surpassed the total for last year in early November.

If this shooting is confirmed as murder it will be the 131st in the capital this year. The figure for 2017 was 118, excluding the victims of terror attacks.

If killings continue at the current rate, the total will stand at 140 by the end of the year, which would be the highest since 2008.

Levels of violent crime in the capital have remained a concern throughout the year, with monthly highs in February and March, when 18 homicides were recorded each month.

These were the second highest monthly totals recorded since April 2010.

The Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Task Force, which was set up in response to violence that broke out in spring, seized 340 knives, 40 guns and 258 other offensive weapons in its first six months of operation. It also made more than 1,350 arrests.

The city’s mayor Sadiq Khan announced plans for a violence reduction unit that would adopt the public health approach successfully used in Glasgow, but warned that the trend could take a generation to overcome.

Scotland Yard has seen a sharp rise in alleged domestic homicides in the past year, although 2017 was a record low, and the force’s murder squad is looking into why the number may have risen.

The force’s commissioner, Cressida Dick last month insisted that violent crime, including terrorism, was her “number one priority”.