Four men involved in a drive-by shooting outside a church in London have been sentenced to a total of 73 years in prison.
The attack happened in January 2023 outside St Aloysius Church on Phoenix Road in Euston while a funeral service was going on at the same time. The drive-by shooting left six people injured, including two young girls.
Tyrell Lacroix, 23; Jashy Perch, 20; Jordan Walters, 24; and Alrico Nelson-Martin, 20; faced charges of conspiracy to wound with intent to cause serious harm at Kingston Crown Court. Additional charges were imposed against Perch for possession of an offensive weapon and cannabis, while Nelson-Martin also faced charges for possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life.
In the sentencing on Friday, Lacroix received a 21-year jail term with an additional five years on licence. Perch was sentenced to 16 years plus four years on licence; Walters to 13 years; and Nelson-Martin to 14 years.
The court said that the violence resulted from gang rivalry and a desire for revenge by Lacroix against members of an opposing gang believed to be attending the funeral.
The victims of the shooting included four women and two girls, aged eleven and seven. One of the young girls suffered gunshot wounds across her arms, legs, and pelvic area, with one shotgun pellet becoming lodged in a muscle close to her heart.
Another woman victim reported serious injuries affecting her hearing and balance.
The funeral service was for 20-year-old Sara Sanchez who had battled leukaemia for three years and her mother 50-year-old Fresia Calderon. Calderon died suddenly from a rare blood clot.
Scotland Yard revealed that Lacroix initiated the planning for the attack as early as November 2022 after sourcing the black Toyota used in the shooting. The service commemorated lives lost from the Regent's Park estate—an area Lacroix considered enemy territory due to gang affiliations.
Judge Mark Bryant-Heron QC condemned Lacroix's actions during sentencing: "You were set on revenge... It is the misfortune of those that organised the memorial service that the deceased people who were being commemorated were from an area regarded by you as territory under control of the rival Cumbo gang."
