18-year-old Nigerian Student Gunned Down In London

An 18-year-old Nigerian student was shot dead as he cycled through an east London estate on Sunday, March 19th. David Adegbite, was ambushed by a gang who surrounded him in a car park in Barking before shooting him in the head shortly after 7pm as children played nearby.

Local officers, firearms officer and London Ambulance Service rushed to the scene and the former Havering College student was taken to the hospital where he died at 10.30PM.

Better known by his nickname "Dutch" Adegbite studied IT at the college in Plaistow and dabbled in making music in his spare time. In fact, the young Arsenal fan was looking forward to studying at Middlesex University in the autumn.

Friends described him as a “loving, family boy” who was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
An 18-year-old, who gave her name as Mary, said: “He was such a smart guy, really clever and good at maths, he was due to start university.

"He was no gangster or drug dealer, he was a good family guy. He always talked about how much he loved his mother and wanted to make her proud.  “He was popular with everyone. I just can’t believe there are people out there in London with guns, you expect it in America  but not here.”

Speaking outside his home in Dagenham, a relative of Mr Adegbite said the family were “very, very devastated” by his death.

Friends lay flowers near the scene of the shooting which spelled out his nickname Dutch in front of the floral tributes.

One said: “He was not aggressive at all. He was just funny. He was a good footballer at school and was always well liked. He didn’t appear to have any enemies, he was a peaceable sort of guy. He was very cool.”

Another said: “He was a good friend and a good guy. We were planning to go to university together and he was going to do ICT (information and communications technology). He was a bright happy person, this does not make any to any of us.”

The teenager went to Dagenham Park school before attending Havering College where his friends said he did well in his A level.

He was visiting friends when he was killed and had previously lived on the estate.

Two 20-year-old men was arrested on Monday and remains in custody at a south London police station. A second 20-year was arrested on Sunday in connection with the shooting, but has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.


Source: Evening Standard /Barking and Dagenham Post