New video shows the moments after a father of three was gunned down on the street in a ‘gang-related murder’ in a wealthy north London neighbourhood – as new information emerged about his criminal past.
Erdal Ozmen, a 45-year-old Kurdish social club owner, was shot dead on Dynevor Road in the millionaires’ enclave of Stoke Newington, north London, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
CCTV obtained by the Daily Mail shows the suspected gunmen calmly fleeing the scene in a black Kia sport’s car seconds after the shooting.
The car is seen turning right out of Dynevor Road onto Stoke Newington High Street before stopping at the traffic lights. Moments later, the car speeds off.
A friend of Mr Ozlem told the Mail: ‘They were waiting outside. They were in a black Kia 2024. Someone shot him in the back then came back and kicked him and shot him another two times.
‘There was one person and another waiting in the car. When they left, they waited 25 seconds at the traffic lights, that’s how confident. They didn’t hide their face, no masks, nothing.’
Mr Ozmen was part of a group of men who were jailed in 2006 for trying to shoot dead a Turkish man outside a petrol station in Tottenham three years earlier, the friend confirmed.
He and another man, Ibrahim Aslan, opened fire on the man but only wounded his right arm.
Police were called at 0.18am on Tuesday and Mr Ozmen was pronounced dead at the scene, with a murder investigation then launched. No arrests have been made at this stage.
Detectives believe the murder – which was the sixth fatal shooting in London so far this year – was an ‘isolated incident’ with ‘no wider risk to the general public’.
Residents claimed it was ‘gang related’, and police acknowledged it would ‘concern within the Stoke Newington community’ but have not given any indication of a motive.
Witness Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives in the area, said: ‘My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was “how do you know?”
‘We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.’
Mr Ozmen has three brothers, who are set to join other members of his family to celebrate his life at a social club in Tottenham.
Neighbours recalled seeing Mr Ozmen regularly hanging around the street he was gunned down on and going in and out of a ‘sketchy’ basement opposite where he was shot dead.
Sandy Fabiszewska, 28, who has lived in a flat above the shooting scene for three years, said: ‘I was in my bed and then I heard gunshots, it was like four gunshots. It was really loud.
‘I was too scared to look out the window. When I finally came out my flatmate said don’t look, don’t look.
‘There was just a dead man there. They tried to resuscitate him for quite a long time.’
She added: ‘My flatmate was outside and heard a car fleeing and someone saying ‘Go, go, go’. There was definitely a car and that’s why the Lime bike fell over.
‘It was a car and 100 per cent more than one person. I heard screaming and a few people around.
‘I think a few people came out of the basement wondering what happened.’
Ms Fabiszewska said the victim would often go in and out of the basement below their flat where there was ‘suspicious’ activity and that it had been raided by police in the past.
She explained: The flat below us is always suspicious to be honest. You can smell weed, I think they were dealing drugs.
‘Then they got raided quite a while ago. I don’t know what happened then. But the door was always open a few days before the shooting. People were in and out and I don’t know what happened there.
‘I definitely saw the victim walking around here before. He would just be going in and out of the suspicious basement below us with quite a lot of people, like five or six people.’
Another local, who asked to remain anonymous, added: ‘We were out when it happened so we didn’t hear or see anything.
‘But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.’
Mr Ozmen’s friend Ali Rizi Ojur told ITV News: ‘I’ve known him maybe more than 20 years. He is a very good guy, always helping people, he has two kids and family.’
Four forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene yesterday afternoon, alongside several police officers. A Lime bike was lying flat in the cordoned area.
The forensic officers used torches to investigate underneath the nine cars parked on the street.
Scotland Yard said the man’s next of kin have been told and a post-mortem examination will take place.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing for the area, said: ‘Our team of detectives and forensic specialists are working at pace to establish the full circumstances that led to the tragic death of this man.
‘We understand this incident will cause concern within the Stoke Newington community, however we do believe this to be an isolated incident at this stage of the investigation with no wider risk to the general public.
‘Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area, along with a crime scene, as we carry out our enquiries. We thank them for their patience and co-operation at this time.
‘We urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that could assist us, to come forward as soon as possible.’
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 12.18am [on Tuesday] to reports of a shooting at the junction of Stoke Newington High Street and Dynevor Road, Hackney.
‘We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, a paramedic from our tactical response unit and an incident response officer.
‘We also dispatched a trauma team from London’s Air Ambulance, which consisted of a paramedic and a doctor in car.
‘Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.’
Anyone who can help is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 108/5AUG. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
