Two bungling gunmen who shot autistic ‘gentle giant’ in the face after going to wrong house are found guilty of murder
TWO bungling gunmen have been found guilty of murdering a “gentle giant” with autism after going to the wrong house and shooting him instead of someone else.
Chad Gordon, 27, was blasted in the face when he opened his door to the pair of assassins, who had travelled to his north London home on a stolen moped.
The shooting, which took place during the first Covid lockdown, was said to have been in revenge for the death of the killers’ friend Jemal Ebrahim, who had been stabbed five days before.
But jurors heard how Mason Sani-Semedo and Cameron Robinson went to the wrong address and shot Mr Gordon instead.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey, Sani-Semedo, 19, from Tottenham, north London, and Robinson, 20, of Dagenham, were found guilty of murder and possession of a gun with intent.
Dancer Javarn Carter-Fraser, 23, from Tottenham, who reached the semi-final in Britain’s Got Talent in 2015, along with Clive Spencer, 24, from Tottenham, and Talye Olabisi, 24, of no fixed address, were cleared of murder.
Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC said Mr Gordon, who had autism, was the “last person anyone would want to kill”.
He was described as a shy and quiet “gentle giant” who was well-liked and polite.
Mr Glasgow said: “What makes his murder such a tragedy is that it would appear that the gunmen went to his address by mistake.”
On May 18 last year the gunmen, armed with a 9mm handgun, had gone to Wiltshire Gardens in Haringey, north London, where Mr Gordon lived with his gran and aunt.
They knocked on the front door and fired instantly when it was opened by Mr Gordon.
A bullet struck him in the face, causing “catastrophic” injuries, the court heard.
Mr Gordon’s family and friends were alerted to the gunfire and the crash as he collapsed on the ground, jurors heard.
The victim’s aunt shouted at the killers as they ran back to the moped.
Without breaking stride, they pointed the gun at her and told her to shut up before escaping, the court heard.
The woman threw herself to the ground to cover a young child, jurors heard.
Mr Glasgow said it was a “carefully planned” attack but for one essential aspect – the address.
The actual targets may have been people connected with Mr Gordon’s neighbours, he said.
Afterwards, the moped and clothes were burned on a bonfire on the Walthamstow marshes.
It was alleged Mr Carter-Fraser gave the gunmen petrol to destroy the incriminating evidence while Olabisi and Spencer provided a change of clothes.
The court heard how Carter-Fraser, who has learning difficulties, had won trophies and toured as a dancer.
Giving evidence, he denied knowing anything about a murder plot.
He told jurors that Robinson had come to his house and asked him to store two crash helmets and some petrol.
On the day of the shooting, he was told to leave it in an alleyway by his house in Tottenham.
Mr Carter-Fraser said he had never questioned Robinson about it but assumed he was going to steal a moped to ride.
In his evidence, Olabisi also denied any involvement in the murder.
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Detectives collected hours of CCTV evidence for the prosecution, believed to be the largest amount in a Metropolitan Police homicide investigation.
The jury had deliberated for nearly 25 hours to reach verdicts in the case.
The Judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, adjourned sentencing until June 8.