Seven men have been found guilty of killing 24-year-old Kai McGinley in a “planned and targeted execution” on a street in south-east London.
Kai McGinley died from a gunshot wound in a car on Pembroke Road, Erith, on 9 February 2023, in what the Old Bailey heard was “almost certainly” a drugs-related killing.
Four men were convicted of Kai McGinley’s murder on Friday: Enriko Spahiu, 21, from Belvedere; Bradlee Reeve, 34, and Kai Osibodu, 25, both from Erith; and Anthony Wallder, 21, from Bexley. They were also convicted of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to two passengers in the Mini – William Burton, 31, and Norman Samura, 25 – but cleared of attempted murder.
Jalees Selby-Gangera, 19, and Connor Brooks, 22, both from Erith, and Charlie Brabon, 19, from Bexley, were convicted of Kai McGinley’s manslaughter but cleared of murder and attempted murder.
Earlier in the trial, jurors heard from prosecutor Brian O’Neill KC, who said the victim’s Mini had been struck “deliberately at speed and with force” by a Land Rover travelling in the opposite direction in convoy with a Peugeot.
On the night of the shooting, Kai McGinley and his two friends were driving around the area supplying drugs. Their Mini was a stolen car with false plates. It was alleged that most of the defendants knew each other and were “friends and associates.”
CCTV footage from the Pembroke Road area captured the Land Rover and Peugeot circling before the incident. Some or all of the occupants of the Peugeot and the Land Rover got out of their vehicles, approached the Mini and opened fire,” Mr. O’Neill told the court. Four or five shots were fired from two shotguns at close range which fatally wounded Kai McGinley. They then fled the scene.”
One of the passengers in the Mini, Bill Burton, testified that the Land Rover rammed into the car he was in, causing him to duck down. He recalled hearing five loud bangs that sounded like they came from a shotgun and then seeing three males wearing balaclavas. The car was struck by shotgun pellets, and the front passenger window was smashed. A masked man put a shotgun through the window and struck him with it before firing the weapon, killing Kai.
The other passenger, Norman Samura, described diving through a broken window to escape, only to have one of the defendants attempt to chop him with a machete, which cut his hand.
CCTV also captured the Peugeot stopping to collect the men from the Land Rover, which was unable to continue its journey because of the impact with the Mini. The following morning, the Peugeot was taken to an industrial estate and scrapped.
Only three defendants gave evidence at the trial. Bradlee Reeve denied being present at the scene, claiming he was linked to the Peugeot car because he had carried out work on it at a garage. Kai Osibodu also denied being present, stating he was with someone else that evening. Anthony Wallder claimed he was not at the scene at the time of the shooting either.
The jury deliberated for 108 hours, and Judge Judy Khan KC thanked them for their work on this “very important and serious case.” All seven defendants will be sentenced in July.
