Two men charged with murder of 17-year-old girl in 2018 drive-by shooting

Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was gunned down while with friends in Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, in April 2018.

Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, was shot dead in Charlgrove Road, Totthenham (Family Handout/PA) (PA Media)

Two men have been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old girl more than six years after she was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Tanesha Melbourne-Blake was socialising with friends when she was gunned down from a vehicle in Tottenham, north London, in April 2018.

On Wednesday, both Marcus La-Croix, 36, of Hackney, and Michael Clarke, 34, of Luton were charged with murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

La-Croix appeared in custody at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and was remanded to appear at the Old Bailey for a bail application on Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said, while Clarke is set to appear in custody at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Tanesha was shot in Chalgrove Road at about 9.35pm by a gunman in a silvery Vauxhall Meriva people carrier.

Floral tributes left on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, north London, where a 17-year-old girl died (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Archive)

She died at the scene and the car, with the registration KS56 NKG, was found torched in Barnet five days later.

In 2020, it was revealed the gun used to kill Tanesha had been involved in another murder in March 2018.

Joseph Williams-Torres, 20, was killed in a case of mistaken identity in Walthamstow, east London, with the same gun, police said.

Although the Metropolitan Police have said there is no suggestion the two murders are linked, forensic tests on the bullet recovered from Tanesha’s body found that the same handgun was used.

It is believed it was a “gun for hire” which had been circulating in north London for at least a year and could have been passed around, Detective Chief Inspector Neil John previously said.