Father-of-three shot dead as revenge, court told

Leroy Mitchell was shot dead outside a silent disco in Croydon on 2 October 2021 and died at the scene. Two men, Alpacino Veii and Cimarron Dume-Gooden, face trial for murder and perverting the course of justice. Prosecutors say the killing was petty revenge from a May 2019 fight at Granaries nightclub when Mitchell allegedly hit Veii and a friend was knocked over by a car. Mitchell was shot once in the head at close range in a car park; witnesses heard a noise like a firework and people fled. The defendants allegedly fled in a BMW with false plates and later torched the car, clothes, and SIM cards to destroy evidence.

"Prosecutor Joel Smith KC told jurors the killing was "an act of petty revenge after a fight between Mr Mitchell and the first defendant, in this case at a nightclub a couple of years previously". The "trivial motive" dated back to May 2019 when Mitchell allegedly hit Veii in the face and Veii's friend was knocked over by a car after a fight broke out between their groups at Granaries nightclub in Croydon."

"On the night of Mitchell's death, Veii, who is from Southwark, and Cimarron Dume-Gooden, of Thornton Heath, allegedly arrived at the disco venue in a BMW hatchback at 02:10 GMT. Mitchell turned up at 04:30 and less than half-an-hour later, he was shot in the head in the car park outside. The court was told people had started to flee after hearing what sounded like a firework, with one of them stumbling over Mitchell's body on the ground."

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