A silent disco partygoer was shot dead in an act of petty revenge, the Old Bailey has heard during a murder trial. Leroy Mitchell, aged 35, was gunned down outside a silent disco party at a house on Birdhurst Road in Croydon, south London, in the early hours of October 2, 2021.
Fatal Shooting in Car Park
Prosecutor Joel Smith KC told jurors that Mr Mitchell arrived at the silent disco around 4.30am. By approximately 4.50am, he had been fatally shot in the head at close range with a 12-bore shotgun in the car park outside the venue. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as a single shotgun wound to the head.
Defendants and Alleged Motive
Alpacino Veii, 29, known as Alpo, and Cimarron Dume-Gooden, 32, are on trial for Mr Mitchell's murder. Mr Smith stated that the murder appeared to be an act of petty revenge stemming from a fight between Mr Mitchell and Veii at the Granaries nightclub in Croydon in May 2019.
During that altercation, Mr Mitchell allegedly punched Veii in the face, and a friend of Veii was knocked over by a Volvo car. Veii reportedly became very upset and tried to hit the vehicle with a hammer. After his arrest, a fuming Veii claimed to be the victim, saying he had been punched. Mr Mitchell later told a friend he had knocked out Alpo during the fight.
Events Leading to the Shooting
In the hours before his death, Mr Mitchell had been at his mother's house and visited the Granaries nightclub before heading to the silent disco at 4.30am. Jurors were informed that a silent disco, or headphones party, involves attendees paying for headphones to listen to music.
Meanwhile, the alleged killers spent the evening in an area of West Croydon known as The Strip. They arrived at the Birdhurst Road venue in a BMW with false registration plates at 2.10am.
Aftermath and Investigation
At 4.51am, revellers heard a bang from the car park that sounded like a firework. As people began to flee, one stumbled over Mr Mitchell's body on the ground and called 999. Neighbours reportedly heard the gunshot followed by a woman screaming and a man swearing and shouting for help.
Police arrived, and Mr Mitchell was pronounced dead at 5.26am. After the shooting, Veii and Dume-Gooden allegedly fled in the BMW. By October 6, the car had been torched along with clothes the defendants were wearing and Sim cards in an attempt to destroy evidence, the court heard.
The defendants then fled to Somerset, where they lay low for a few days before returning to London, hoping they had evaded capture. The shooting itself was not captured on CCTV, but Mr Smith said evidence from traffic cameras and mobile phones indicated Veii and Dume-Gooden were responsible.
Additional Charges and Trial
Veii, from Southwark, and Dume-Gooden, of Thornton Heath, south London, have denied murder. Kwabena Ofori, 29, of South Norwood, and Issa Souleman, 29, of New Cross, along with Veii and Dume-Gooden, have denied perverting the course of justice between October 1 and 14, 2021. The Old Bailey trial continues.
