Tottenham: Boy, 17, fatally shot outside music studio - court

A post-mortem examination confirmed Tyler McDermott died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head

Seven men and a woman have gone on trial charged with the murder of 17-year-old Tyler McDermott.

The teenager was fatally shot in the early hours of 13 April last year outside a music studio in Tottenham.

A jury was shown CCTV on Tuesday of the moment Tyler was shot in the head with a ball bearing.

The details were heard as the prosecution opened the case against the eight defendants, who all deny murder at the trial at the Old Bailey.

Opening the case for prosecution, John Price KC said there had been signs of "tension and hostility" brewing between two groups of young people, who were all present in the music studio on the morning of 13 April.

One group consisted of Tyler and Kamali Lindo and friends of theirs, while the defendants were in the other group - Tyrese Barnett, Leo Reid and the six others.

As the two groups left the studio in Norman Road, Tottenham, the CCTV footage clearly showed what happened, the court heard.

Mr Price said: "The man who shot Tyler McDermott in the head is Tyrese Barnett.

"The man who struck him to the lower body with the machete after he had fallen to the ground is Leo Reid.

"They showed they both intended and desired that Tyler should die."

Both men were identified by police and found two days later sitting together at Heathrow Airport with one-way tickets to Jamaica, the court heard.

Mr Price said that it was understood the defence case for Tyrese Barnett was that "he pulled the trigger by accident" and had not deliberately aimed the gun at Tyler.

However, the CCTV showed the gun was fired twice, with the second shot fired at Tyler's friend, Kamali Lindo, said Mr Price.

"What then is his explanation for the second shot? Was it yet another accident of the same kind?" asked Mr Price.

As regards Leo Reid, the prosecution did not allege his use of the machete caused the death of Tyler, but it did help prove he shared guilt for the murder, the court heard.

The other six defendants, including a 19-year-old woman, Shernez Walters, were all present in both the music studio and in Norman Street when the shots were fired, and it would be for the prosecution to prove if they were assisting or encouraging the crime, Mr Price said.

Tyrese Barnett, 20, of no fixed address, denies the murder of Tyler and the attempted murder of Kamali Lindo and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Leo Reid, 20, of Tulse Hill, south-west London, denies murder but has pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

Rhys Antwi, 19, of Prentis Road, south-west London, denies murder but has pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

Tyrese Matthews, 20, of Black Prince Road, south-east London; Alfred Coker, 21, of Bowen Drive, south-east London; Damaris McBeth, 19, of The Glade, Croydon; Kalam Bagge, 19, of Nimrod Road, south-west London, and Shernez Walters, 19, of Hendon Gardens, Romford, all deny murder.

The trial, which is expected to last for ten weeks, continues.

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