A nine-year-old girl was shot in the head while dining with her family at a Turkish restaurant in east London, the victim of a stray bullet during a targeted gang attack, a court has heard. The shooting occurred on 29 May 2024 at Evin restaurant in Dalston, where a gunman on a Ducati Monster motorbike fired six shots in two seconds at a group seated outside. The girl, who cannot be named, was inside the restaurant and suffered a bullet wound to the head that has left her with lasting physical and cognitive impairments.
The Old Bailey trial of Javon Riley, 33, heard that the attack was a planned assassination of members of a rival gang. Riley has pleaded not guilty to four counts of attempted murder and one alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The prosecution alleges that the shooting was part of an ongoing feud between two London gangs known as the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Turks, also called the Bombacilars.
Prosecutor James Mulholland KC told the jury that the intended targets were three men—Mustafa Kiziltan, Kenan Aydogdu, and Nasser Ali—who were sitting at a pavement table outside the restaurant. All three were shot but have made reasonable recoveries. However, a stray bullet struck the girl, who was seated inside with her family. The bullet lodged in her brain, requiring multiple surgeries at Great Ormond Street Hospital, including the removal of skull sections to relieve swelling and the later fitting of a titanium plate. She spent three months in hospital and will face lifelong difficulties.
CCTV footage showed that the first of the six shots hit the girl on the right side of her head, causing her to collapse. The gunman has not been apprehended. Riley is accused of playing a key role in the plot, including conducting reconnaissance, transporting the gunman from the scene, and helping to dispose of the firearm, which has never been found. Covert recordings allegedly captured Riley discussing the shooting and acknowledging that his associate had 'missed', resulting in the injury to the young girl.
The court also heard that Riley was linked to the Tottenham Turks and that the attack may have been in retaliation for a previous shooting. The trial continues.
