Yusuf Sonko was shot dead near Lodge Lane
Yusuf Sonko, 18, died after being shot and left for dead on Tagus Street(Image: Merseyside Police)
The gunman who shot dead a teenager in the street is yet to be brought to justice eight years on from a horrific murder that rocked Merseyside. Yusuf Sonko was struck in the head by a stray bullet after a gun was fired indiscriminately a number of times towards a group of friends on Tagus Street, close to where Tiber Football Centre now stands.
By the time his mum Khadija arrived at the scene, Yusuf has been rushed to hospital with horrific and ultimately fatal injuries. Merseyside Police detectives believe two offenders were on bicycles when they approached Yusuf and his friends at around 8.30pm on June 2, 2017.
Khadija Sonko told the ECHO last year during a renewed appeal for information how Yusuf approached the men and told them to leave, but before he had barely taken two steps one of the gunmen pulled out a 9mm handgun opening fire and pumping five shots towards the crowd including the one that claimed his life. No one else was hit in the drive-by shooting.
Merseyside Police has relentlessly investigated the case but have been unable to charge anyone in connection with the shooting, despite eight arrests and a £20,000 reward for information. One of the biggest hurdles detectives have been faced with is a lack of community information regarding the fateful seconds before and after Yusuf was killed.
Speaking to the ECHO last year, next to graffitied murals and RIP messages dedicated to her son at the spot he was gunned down, Khadija said: “The Toxteth community is around us – they still feel the pain in their heart like we do. They are my community and they have supported me since day one, but to really support me, they need to come forward with information and give me justice.
“I am begging them. No justice, no peace. Yusuf would do anything for anyone, but where are those people now? They are still quiet. I am just asking simply for them to put themselves in my shoes. Sometimes I see Yusuf’s friends and they hide from me because they know I will confront them. I ask why haven’t they spoken?
“People aren’t coming forward because they don’t want to be called a grass. People talk about being a grass, but this is different. When you kill it is a different story. This is not snitching – this is murder. How can you live with that? It is selfish. You have to be honest and tell. The police will protect you.”
Yusuf was due to take his last A-level exam just days after he was shot. He wanted to go and study business studies at university. Remembering her son, Khadija said: “Yusuf was so important to me. I have two other sons who I love very much. But I miss having Yusuf in the house.
“He made me laugh, made me smile. He was so nice, lovely, kind and humble. He was tall and handsome. I know everybody loves their child very much, but where is my son now? In the cemetery. Yusuf’s death broke our family. I am no longer with my husband. It doesn’t get any easier. How can someone kill a child? I couldn’t kill a fly, but they pointed a gun at Yusuf and killed him.”
Floral tributes off Lodge Lane in Toxteth for murdered teenager Yusuf Sonko.(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: “The investigation into the murder of 18 year-old Yusuf Sonko remains ongoing and we are continuing to appeal for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.”
Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also report information via the force’s website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101 quoting incident reference 0517135977.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously