The London Metropolitan Police has revealed how an 18-year-old UK-based Nigerian, Emmanuel Popoola, allegedly shot dead a fellow teenager, Keanu Harker, following a dispute over comments made in a Snapchat group chat.
The details of the incident were contained in a statement obtained from the Met Police website on Tuesday, following the conviction of Popoola alongside his accomplices at the Old Bailey court in the UK on Monday.
The statement noted that Popoola, alongside other accomplices, Tayvon Etefia, Eliezer Mbaki, Anais King, and a 17-year-old boy whose identity is protected for legal reasons, were found guilty on Monday after a six-week trial.
The statement disclosed that Harker was shot in the head and chest on June 26, 2025, while riding his bicycle along Great Cambridge Road, Enfield.
It noted that the victim was tailed by Popoola and Etefia on a Sur-ron electric bike before Popoola opened fire.
Narrating the circumstances behind the incident, the Met Police disclosed that digital forensic analysis of mobile phones recovered messages showed that Popoola became enraged after he was mocked in a Snapchat group chat over claims that he could not afford mobile data.
The statement also noted that the prosecution tendered drill rap videos allegedly showing gang members boasting about Harker’s killing.
The statement read, “Footage showed both men speaking with friends at a sports court in Enfield Town Park minutes before the murder. Popoola showed off an item inside a plastic bag he was holding, which detectives believed concealed the gun that killed Keanu.
“Digital forensics experts were able to access mobile phones belonging to the victim and Popoola. They revealed a series of voice messages between the youths, shared on a Snapchat ‘group chat’ for members of rival street gangs in the Enfield area.
“The group chat messages, which had been saved on the devices’ hard drives, showed how Popoola was angered by comments implying that he did not have the money to buy data for his mobile phone.”
Following the shooting, police said the suspects abandoned the electric bike, discarded clothing, and attempted to dispose of other evidence before fleeing the scene in a vehicle driven by Mbaki.
The statement noted that two days after the murder, Popoola allegedly escaped to France on a Eurostar train after his girlfriend, King, bought him a one-way ticket to Paris.
It added that his accomplice, Etefia, also attempted to flee to France but was arrested by officers from the British Transport Police aboard a train at London’s St Pancras International Station before its scheduled departure.
The statement noted that police later tracked Popoola through King after she travelled to Paris to meet him.
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The statement continued, “While Popoola remained in the French capital, police focused their attention on the suspect’s girlfriend.
“They made plans to meet each other in Paris, with Popoola providing her with a list of items he wanted her to bring, including nail clippers, a comb, and deodorant.
“On 31 July 2025, King booked a Eurostar ticket for 3 August. Detectives received information about the booking and devised a plan to get the girlfriend to lead them to Popoola.”
It added that UK police, in conjunction with French authorities, arrested Popoola at an apartment in Paris on August 3, 2025, before he was extradited to the United Kingdom on August 14.
The statement noted that following their convictions, Popoola and Etefia will be sentenced on July 9 and 10, while Mbaki will also be sentenced during the same period.
It added that the 17-year-old convicted of assisting an offender will be sentenced on August 7, while King’s sentencing date is yet to be fixed.
Reacting, Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, who led the investigation, said the killing stemmed from comments made in a Snapchat group chat.
“Our painstaking investigation established that Keanu was murdered because his killers took offence to something that was said in a social media group chat.
“Rather than ignore the comments, Emmanuel Popoola armed himself with a pistol and, with the help of Tayvon Etefia, carried out a drive-by shooting. This was cowardly and disproportionate violence that has understandably shocked the community.
“We spent months building a comprehensive case against the killers and those who tried to help them, and I am pleased to have been able to secure justice for Keanu’s family,” Card said.
Reacting to the convictions, Harker’s family was said to have described the verdict as only “some measure of justice.”
“Our son had just turned 18 when these individuals decided to take his life. We are grateful that some measure of justice has been served, but no amount of time they spend in prison will ever be enough for us. We have been left with a lifetime of pain and loss that can never be undone.
“We hope this case opens people’s eyes to how damaging gang culture has become for young people. Too many children are losing their lives, and too many families are being left to suffer unimaginable heartbreak.
“Something must change before more young lives are taken and more parents are forced to endure the pain that we now live with every day,” the family was quoted as saying.
Source: Punch
