Met calls crisis talks after third youth shot dead

Britain's most senior police officer has ordered an emergency meeting with detectives following the third fatal shooting of a teenager in south London in less two weeks.

The Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, will meet officers from the force's Specialist Crime Directorate today to discuss the recent spate of gun attacks in the capital.

The latest murder came yesterday afternoon, when a 15-year-old boy was shot dead in his own home in the Clapham North area.

Detectives have not discovered any connection between the three murders, but the swift succession of killings is likely to add to a public perception that gun crime in the capital is almost out of control.

Yesterday's victim, who has not so far been named, was found with a gunshot wound by a member of his family. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The murder came just days after the fatal shootings of two other boys in south London. James Smartt-Ford, 16, died on 3 February after he was shot in front of hundreds of panicked bystanders at Streatham Ice Arena. Three days later, Michael Dosunmu, 15, was murdered by two gunmen who forced their way into his home in Peckham. Police say that Michael was apparently the victim of mistaken identity.

It is understood, however, that investigators believe the latest victim knew his attackers. There are understood to be no signs of forced entry at the 15-year-old's home. Forensic officers were searching the property last night, a ground-floor maisonette on the Fenwick estate. Detectives are considering whether the shooting was triggered by an argument that flared out of control or was the result of a long-running feud.

In a statement last night, Scotland Yard said: "As is routine, links with recent murders in south London will be investigated but we must retain an open mind as to any potential motive.

"We would like to reassure the communities in south London that we are taking the current situation very seriously and are doing everything in our power to find those responsible."

The boy is believed to be of mixed race, with a white father and a Thai mother. The investigation will be led by officers from Operation Trident, which normally investigates gun crime in the Afro-Caribbean community.

Despite the recent shootings, the Metropolitan Police say gun crime is falling in London. But only last year, senior Scotland Yard officers called for tougher sentences for those who were caught carrying firearms to stop a rise in the number of young teenage gang members wielding guns.

There is currently a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for anyone above the age of 21 caught in possession of an illegal gun. Senior Met officers would like to see that raised to seven or 10 years, and the age limit reduced to 18 at least.

Speaking last October, detectives from Operation Trident said they had identified a growing trend of "junior sections" within gangs. Claudia Webbe, vice-chair of the Operation Trident independent advisory group, told the BBC that gun crime was "devastating London's streets". She said: "Far too many of our young people know where, how and who to get a gun from and that is worrying."

Yesterday's shooting took place on the day when four teenagers were sentenced over a shooting at a party in Peckham, south London. Zainab Kalokoh, 33, was cradling a baby in her arms at a christening party when she was shot by Roberto Malasi in August 2005. The 18-year-old Angolan refugee stabbed Ruth Okechukwu, 18, in the same area 15 days later. He was today given two life sentences with a minimum term of 30 years for murdering the two women.

Three of the gang members were also convicted of Mrs Kalokoh's manslaughter and robbery. They were were given indeterminate sentences for public protection.

The toll in two weeks

3 February

James Andre Smartt-Ford, 16, of New Malden, Surrey, died after he was shot at least twice at Streatham Ice Arena on February. He was shot in front of hundreds of people during a disco at the ice rink.

6 February

Michael Dosunmu, 15, of Diamond Street, Peckham, was shot and killed on 6 February by gunmen who broke into his home just days after he celebrated his 15th birthday. Police believe Michael, was a victim of mistaken identity. Four people aged 20, 17, 16 and 15, were questioned over his murder and have been released on police bail.

14 February

A 15-year-old schoolboy was shot dead in south London. The boy was pronounced dead at his home in Fenwick Place, Kennington, just after 3.40pm.