Family ‘traumatised’ after son shot in Enfield

In February last year a group of men broke into a property armed with a shotgun before firing it twice through a flimsy door into the victim’s abdomen.

The 26-year-old, who police have not named and was not connected to the gangs, suffered life-threatening injuries before the gang fled back to Brent.

Asharn Williams, 22, of Tylers Gate in Harrow, and Mickell Barnett, 21, of no fixed address, were sentenced to 71 years’ prison after a six-week trial.

But police were not able to charge all the people they believe are responsible for the shooting.

The victim’s mother, speaking previously, said: “As a result of being shot close hand with a shotgun, my son sustained significant injuries during the incident.

“On his road to recovery he has undergone numerous surgeries and is also likely to be subjected to more surgical interventions in the future to try and manage some of the damage that has resulted from the attack.”

Mickell Barnett and Asharn Williams have been jailed after a shooting in Enfield. Picture: Met Police.

She continued: “The impact of the shooting on my son and our family has been significant.

“As well as managing the physical injuries, we have also been left extremely traumatised.

“The shooting was gang-related, however my son was not and has never been part of a gang.”

The mother added: “Notwithstanding this, his life has still been severely impacted by the violence and the chaos resulting from gang activity and the ongoing and often petty disputes between opposing gangs that have significant consequences.”

She said the family is very grateful to the Met Police for finding those responsible and helping shed light on events that happened that night.

“Unfortunately the police were not able to charge all of the individuals they believe are responsible for the shooting,” she added.

“However our family is still very grateful that they were able to bring charges against some and that they will face the consequences of their choices and actions and will no longer present a significant threat to public safety.”

Police investigations revealed that gang tensions around north west London had sparked escalating violence in the area.

During the trial Williams and Barnett’s involvement in violent drill music was commented on by the judge during sentencing.

Detective sergeant Mark Attridge also said both have previous convictions attributed to their lifestyle with Barnett already serving nearly seven years for a gang-related stabbing.