Ilford shooting: Murder investigation launched after man killed in London

Police officers alerted to shooting on Balfour Road, Ilford, on Sunday evening

The Metropolitan Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man in Ilford, east London, on Sunday. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire/PA Images)

Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was shot in the head in east London on Sunday evening.

Officers were called to Balfour Road, Ilford, at 10.14pm on Sunday after reports of a shooting. 

A 30-year-old man was found by the emergency services with gunshot wounds and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

His next of kin have been informed but a formal identification is yet to take place. A post-mortem examination will also be carried out. 

Detectives from the  Met Police’s homicide unit are in charge of the investigation, with no arrests made so far in connection with the shooting. 

Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, tweeted on Monday morning that he was in touch with the police about Sunday’s shooting and was waiting for further updates. 

“There must be no tolerance for such acts of violence on our streets,” Mr Tarry added. 

The incident on Sunday follows other deaths caused by shootings in the capital in recent months. Shakur Hassan, 23, died in mid-October after being shot in Hayes, West London, while the “much-loved” police office Matt Ratana was killed after a handcuffed suspect fired a gun at his chest at a custody centre in Croydon the previous month. 

Last week, the police charged Jamie Ayres, 46, from Northolt, with the murder of Hassan. 

Murders increased by 3 per cent to 686 in England and Wales in the year to June, despite a significant drop in overall crime resulting from the coronavirus lockdown.