EXCLUSIVEThe leafy London suburb on the frontline of a drill rap gang war: How Sydenham is being plagued by a spiralling outbreak of violence as the community is rocked by yet another shooting in 'murder mile'
Just two-and-a-half miles from where Chris Kaba was cornered, South London is once again dealing with the fallout of another shooting in an area where gang warfare has spiralled 'out of control', MailOnline can reveal today.
Police are still hunting for the gunman who shot dead expectant father Curtis Green, 30, in Wells Park Road, Sydenham in broad daylight on Sunday morning.
A woman, also 30, was blasted in the legs and another man was sprayed with bullets but survived the attack on a party that neighbours said had gone on all night.
Locals say that Sunday morning's shooting was the latest in a series of violence incidents in the leafy, south London suburb, with many blaming gangs and rivalries often stoked by drill rap.
MailOnline can reveal that the latest shooting in Sadiq Khan's London came in an area dubbed 'murder mile' because it has had at least five gang-related murders and attempted murders with guns and knives in the past decade.
Three of those incidents alone were in Wells Park Road, including a tragic incident where a teenager was stabbed through the heart. Another nearby was a machete murder where one of the killers was driven to the scene by their mother.
Sydenham has been shaken by a murder on Sunday. But it is the fifth murder or attempted murder in the area in a decade, including three on the same street
Curtis Green, 30, died from gunshot injuries during a triple shooting in the Wells Park Road area of Sydenham, around 10am on Sunday
Curtis was shot dead at a party that went on until 10am. Police left a bottle of sparkling wine at the scene as part of its forensic investigation
Liya Makonnen, who has lived in the area all her life said: 'Things have got very bad around here over the last few years. A lot of young people are in gangs and they're out of control.
'This is not the first time that we've had a murder like this in Sydenham or nearby. It used to be a really safe, middle-class area but there are a lot of gangs all over south London and that has now affected life for all of us.'
Curtis Green was killed in Sydenham the morning after a flat party. The business owner, who had a child due in early 2025, died at the scene on Wells Park Road some time after 10.10am, despite paramedics' best efforts.
Neighbours revealed that a party was taking place at the flat where the shooting occurred that started late on Saturday night and continued until 10am Sunday.
One said: 'I woke up on Sunday morning and all I could hear was very loud music. Then I heard what I thought was fireworks and a lot of shouting. But a little while later I found out that there had been a shooting.
'There have been loud parties at that flat or in that block before, so it's nothing unusual for us, even if it was Sunday morning. That's normal for around here. We've become used to roads being closed by police because of violence.'
Curtis was described by his family as 'happy, excited and beautiful'. They said: 'He was an entrepreneur and the owner of a clothing brand and local fitness company. He was also a father-to-be, with a child due in five months'.
Detectives have focused their forensic investigation on a flat in Hensford Gardens, just off Wells Park Road as they try to piece together why Curtis and two others were shot.
The area sits less than a mile from Dulwich, arguably south-east London's most salubrious area with his grand park and public schools.
Sydenham, however, has seen itself fought over by gangs. It has also become a place where rival crews from Croydon, Brixton and Lewisham have confronted each other.
Reece Ramsey-Johnson (pictured above) died from shotgun wounds to the chest in Sydenham during an assassination gone wrong
Stills from the video show a man standing over Mr Ramsey Johnson after he shot himself
During the video a masked man shouts: 'He's shot himself' before he and two others run off
A man in his 20s who did not want to give his name revealed that gangs operating in the area include one on the Sydenham Hill estate, while another, called T1D is based in nearby Dulwich.
Other gangs include the Ghetto Boys, based in Lewisham, Uptown, which operates on the Dulwich/Sydenham border and Circle.
He said: 'Nobody knows why the shooting happened but there were a lot of people at the party and some of them would have had gang links, because they are the ones who carry guns and other weapons.
'They've always got beef with each other and a lot of it is linked to drill music, not just post codes.'
Another said: 'Some people call it murder mile'.
The council block where the shooting took place is surrounded by elegant, Victorian homes located on wide, leafy roads while the local high street is lined with independent shops and cafes.
Julie McAllister said: 'This is a lovely area but there are parts where there is a lot of deprivation and violence but that's just how it is in London.
'Older residents are not targeted, it's the young people who are most at risk and sadly in this case, from what I've heard, more young people have lost their lives. The police aren't really around, and the authorities don't seem to be able to control things, so that's why we have incidents like this.'
Levi Ernest-Morrison (left) who was stabbed to death in Sydenham, south-east London in April. He was disabled and walked with a crutch
Nichola Leighton drove her son Tyreese Ulysses to find Levi and kill him. She was jailed for at least 23 years for murder. Ulysses was handed a 13-year term for manslaughter. His friend Alex Sprules stabbed Levi in the groin
Gang-related violence on Wells Park Road hit the headlines ten years ago in an all-too familiar tragedy that saw a teenager lose his life.
Giovanni Dixon stabbed 18-year-old James Hunter in the heart and was convicted of his murder in 2015.
Mr Hunter died outside the Tasty Chicken shop in Wells Park Road, Sydenham. Another teenager was stabbed in the attack but survived after a fight broke out between two rival gangs of up to ten youths.
One insider said James was a 'popular' and loyal friend.
'He was defending another boy when someone lunged at him with a knife. The wound in his chest was about an inch wide', they said.
In 2019 gang-crime boiled over again in Sydenham and a man was killed in a botched assassination.
An angry gunman accidentally shot himself in the chest just off Sydenham High street with a sawn-off shotgun.
Reece Ramsey-Johnson, 25, died after his revenge attack to murder his friend's killer failed.
Video footage from the scene, filmed just after the incident, showed a man crouching over Ramsey-Johnson while shouting 'he's shot himself — he's f***ing shot himself'.
Three men fled the scene, leaving him dying on the floor while a horrified witness called the police.
It was Marley Lucas who survived the 'very bitter and vicious gang revenge attack'.
A gang of four men tracked down Lucas and tried to kill him by cornering his car in a sider street, Woolwich Crown Court later heard.
At the time, one witness said: 'It looked like he was using the butt of the gun on the car window and it backfired.
'When I got there they were saying he shot himself.'
It was suggested that revenge may have been a possible motive for the attack as Lucas was acquitted by a jury in 2015 of the murder of a friend of Ramsey-Johnson.
Two years after Ramsey-Johnson's death, another murder took place over gang rivalries.
James Hunter, 18, was stabbed in the heart after a fight broke out between two rival gangs in Sydenham
Levi Ernest Morrison was chased by a gang before being caught and knifed to death at the junction of Hazel Grove and Sydenham Road
The group of youths had been armed with three machetes and a knife.
The youngest member of a gang of youths was 14 and they were driven to the scene by one of their mothers.
The violence continued again in August 2022.
An 18-year-old was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight in Westwood Hill, Sydenham, shortly later 7.10pm.
Police admitted the teenager 'may never fully recover' from the attack. It is not known if the perpetrator was ever caught.
Wells Park Road was again the scene of a violent stabbing in July this year.
A teenage boy was rushed to hospital after being knifed. The victim was set-upon and left injured in the street at around 4pm. The 18-year-old was stabbed in the street as children were walking home from school.
And now the same street has seen another murder, namely of dad-to-be Curtis Green.
His family will continue to be supported by specialist officers, the Metropolitan Police has said, as they again appealed for witnesses to the attack.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Townsend, who is now leading the Met's investigation, said: 'Following our appeal on Sunday, I want to reiterate how important it is to come forward if you have any information about what happened on Sunday morning.
'Three people were shot, and sadly one has lost their life. We have been working tirelessly in order to establish the circumstances and these enquiries remain ongoing.
'In particular, I would like to hear from anyone who attended a party on Hensford Gardens, SE26. We believe Curtis had been at this party and I want to hear from anyone who was there.
'If you were at the party, if you saw what happened or if you have any information about the incident, then please do not hesitate to contact us.'
Any witnesses or anyone with footage or information is asked to call police on 101 or message via X @MetCC with reference number 2527/10Nov. To remain anonymous, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
