London Wake Turns Tragic: Best Friend Shot Dead in Drive-By

In December 2024, outside the River of Life Pentecostal Church in Willesden, north-west London, a tragic drive-by shooting occurred during a wake. Michelle Sadio, a 44-year-old legal administrator and mother of two, was killed in the incident. Valerie Asamoah, Sadio's best friend, testified at the Old Bailey, recounting how she heard noises like fireworks and saw sparks emanating from a dark-coloured car.

Asamoah described the event, held for 80-year-old Dianne Boatong, as a peaceful gathering of about 100 people. She recalled being outside the church with Sadio when the car approached, its window down. After the shooting, Asamoah found Sadio slumped over a parked car. Two other individuals were injured: Kenneth Amoah was shot and paralyzed, while Kadeem Francis was wounded in the foot.

Four individuals—Perry Allen-Thomas, 27, Shaquille Sutherland, 26, Amir Salem, 19, and Tahjin Sommersall, 19—are on trial, facing charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors allege that Sommersall was in the car from which shots were fired, while Sutherland and Allen-Thomas are accused of orchestrating the attack from afar. Salem allegedly procured petrol to set fire to the vehicle afterward. At least four shots were fired, and the exact shooter remains unknown. The intended target may have been a local rapper known as "Toxic" or "Trapstar Toxic."