A man has been convicted for his involvement in a gang-related shooting that resulted in a nine-year-old girl suffering a bullet lodged in her brain.
Javon Riley, 33, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to the girl, who was struck in the head by the first of six shots fired from a motorcycle passing by the Evin Restaurant on Kingsland High Street in Hackney, east London, in May of the previous year.
He was also convicted of attempting to murder three men – Mustafa Kiziltan, 35, Kenan Aydogdu, 45, and Nasser Ali, 44 – who were dining outside the restaurant that evening.
The girl was an innocent casualty of a bitter feud between rival Turkish gangs, as detailed in court proceedings.
The girl’s mother expressed the devastating impact of the incident: “In a single instant, the future we envisioned for our daughter was irrevocably altered. She was once a lively and adventurous child, embodying energy and life. Now, due to weakness on her left side, she can only observe from the sidelines, living with a titanium plate in her skull and a bullet still lodged in her brain.”
The incident occurred at 21:00 BST on May 29 last year while the girl was enjoying ice cream with her family.
The three injured men were reported to have connections to the Hackney Turks organized crime group, which had an ongoing rivalry with the Tottenham Turks, with whom Riley was associated, the court heard.
A resident of Tottenham in north London, Riley was said to have played a significant role before, during, and after the shooting. He conducted surveillance, passing by the scene multiple times to confirm the presence of intended targets before the shooting, and assisted the shooter in evading capture, according to the prosecution.
Although the assailant and the firearm have not been located, the motorcycle used in the attack—a Ducati Monster distinguished by its white body, red chassis, and red wheels—was later recovered.
The girl’s mother lamented, “As parents, we are devastated—emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. Each day presents new challenges, from her uneven growth to the unseen emotional and mental scars. The world we once thought was safe for our child now feels alarming and unpredictable.”
Authorities are offering a £15,000 reward “for information leading to the identification, arrest, and prosecution of the individual who fired the weapon.”
Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, who led the investigation, commented, “Javon Riley’s actions have dramatically changed the course of a young girl’s life. While this verdict represents a small measure of justice, the dangerous individual accountable for pulling the trigger remains at large.”
Riley is scheduled to be sentenced on September 12.
