Police issue appeal five years after double murder at lockdown party
Murder squad detectives have made a fresh appeal for information on the fifth anniversary of a double killing at a lockdown party.
Cheriff Tall, 21, and father of three Abayomi 'Junior' Ajose, 36, were shot dead at a 'spontaneous' party attended by 400 people in Moss Side, Manchester, in the early hours of June 21 2020.
The event, with a DJ and PA system, took place in a car park in the middle of a block of flats hours after a Black Lives Matter protest.
Detectives are appealing for information if witnesses know or saw someone there who was wearing a black Icon cap with a white logo and a white Nike Air T-shirt with a small black logo over the left side of the chest.
A £50,000 reward remains available for key information that leads to the discovery and conviction of the killer, who police believe is from Birmingham.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Major Incident Team, said: 'This year marks five years since Cheriff and Junior went out to a party but sadly never returned home to their loved ones. Their families have been left devastated by their loss, and they deserve justice.
'We will never be able to bring back their beloved Cheriff and Junior, but we can see that their killer is brought to justice. We need members of the community to get in touch and help us with some key information.
'There were hundreds of people in the car park that night and we are sure that there are people who saw the incident, even if it was just part of it.
'However, there has been a reluctance for witnesses to come forward with information.
'I understand that people might be scared, and that is normal given what has happened, but there is a range of measures that we can put in place to keep witnesses safe.
'Evidence can be given on video or behind a screen. It could also be that we could apply to the courts for the witness to be anonymous if there are grounds to do so.
'I'd just ask for you to come forward and we can have an honest chat about what we can do, as you don't have to commit to giving a statement in the first instance.
'The person responsible for these murders we believe is from Birmingham. He is not a member of the local Moss Side community, and he should not be protected.
'Anyone who comes forward in this case is not a 'grass' for helping the police, they are simply doing what is right for two families who have had their loved ones taken from them in awful circumstances. No one deserves that.
'When we have worked together in the past, we have achieved great results and if we work together again, we can get justice for Cheriff and Junior. It's not too late to do the right thing.'
Anyone with information, however small or insignificant, should contact GMP in confidence on 0161 856 2035, quoting incident number 221 of 21/06/20.
Alternatively, reports can be made in confidence to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Information, including pictures and videos, can be uploaded anonymously to the Major Incident Public Portal for Operation Tarnbrook at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP20S30-PO1
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