£10,000 to catch 'drive-by' murderers

The relatives of a man who was shot and killed as he sat chatting to friends on a wall have made an emotional appeal for witnesses after the police offered a £10,000 reward to catch his murderers.

Michael Cabey, 28, was gunned down in daylight in Clapton nearly three months ago.

His mother and sister are urging people to come forward with information. Police are particularly keen to speak to a well-dressed black woman who is thought to have picked up Mr Cabey's mobile phone while he was lying on the ground following the shooting. Detectives have so far been unable to trace it.

Mr Cabey was shot at the corner of Rossington Street and Northwold Road on Sunday 5 August after three men drove past in a black Ford Fiesta and fired at him through a window.

The car drove off in the direction of Clapton Road while Mr Cabey lay bleeding on the pavement. An ambulance took him to Homerton hospital but he was dead on arrival, having been hit four times.

Fighting back tears, his sister Selina Johnson, 24, yesterday pleaded for further information about the murder. She said: "The senseless killing of Mikey has left my family totally devastated.

"The death of a loved one is hard when it is due to illness or natural causes, but when it is in the brutal way my brother died, it makes it all the harder.

"The total disregard for life that these killers showed when they opened fire in a public place cannot go unpunished."

Michael's mother Joy Johnson, 44, is adamant nobody could have argued with her son or held a grudge against him. She said: "Michael was a fine gentleman and he is not with us any more. He grew up respecting other people's feelings and was such a good natured child.

"I have searched my mind but keep asking myself why someone would want to do something like this."

Two men were arrested on 7 August but released on police bail. The murder is being investigated by detectives from Operation Trident, set up to look at black-on-black gun crime, although so far there is no evidence to link Mr Cabey's death with any previously committed crimes.

The woman that police desperately want to speak to picked up Mr Cabey's phone while he was being helped by a member of the public, claimed it was hers and then left the scene.

Detective Inspector Lar ry Lawrence said: "We have tried calling the phone, but it is dead, as if the battery has run out. We are not necessarily saying that this woman's involvement is suspicious, but we would like to speak to her as she may have seen something which could lead us to Michael's killers."

Police are also still searching for the car driven by the men who shot Mr Cabey. It has the registration R160 ULD and detectives believe it may have been abandoned somewhere in the London area.

Mr Cabey's family believe possible witnesses are being deterred from coming forward by fear. Selina said: "I definitely think that there is somebody out there who knows something but is too scared to come forward.

"I understand that, but if my brother can get shot in broad daylight, it could happen to someone else as well.

"If there is somebody who can make a difference, they should."

Anybody who has information about the shooting should contact police either by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or at the incident room at Stoke Newington police station on 020 8785 8056.