A quiet wake at a London church turned into a nightmare when 46-year-old mother of two Michelle Sadio was fatally shot in a drive-by attack that also left two men injured.
Sadio was standing outside the River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church in Harlesden, just minutes from Wembley Stadium, when a car rolled up and opened fire on the crowd in December 2024, according to the BBC.
Now, four men are on trial for murder: 19-year-old Tahjin Sommersall, 27-year-old Perry Allen-Thomas, 26-year-old Shaquille Sutherland, and 19-year-old Amir Salem. All have pleaded not guilty to murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Investigators say Sommersall was inside the vehicle during the shooting alongside two other suspects who allegedly fled the UK and have yet to be found. Prosecutors claim Allen-Thomas and Sutherland orchestrated the attack from afar, directing the younger men to carry out the violence.
“In short, the prosecution alleges that Sutherland and Allen-Thomas got the three younger men to do their dirty work for them,” prosecutor Crispin Aylett told the court.
Prosecutors also allege Salem bought gasoline used to torch the getaway car after the shooting.
Authorities believe the attack may have been aimed at a rapper, not the mourners paying respects inside the church.
Sadio — a legal administrator, friend to many, and mom to two children — was shot in the back, lung, and shoulder and died at the scene. One man was left paralyzed from the waist down, while another was shot in the foot.
The wake was being held for an 80-year-old woman who had recently passed away — a gathering that no one imagined would turn into a murder scene.
If you’d like this even more shocking, shorter, or with a punchier headline, I can tighten it further.
Find em and Hang em slowly in the town square.
Interesting names. I see a common denominator.
My husband call it a “pattern.” 🤔
That is murder and they all should get the death sentence