Man found shot dead inside car in east London

A man in his 40s has been found shot dead inside a car in east London, the Metropolitan Police said.

A murder investigation has begun after officers were called to St Bartholomew's Road, Newham, at about 03:00 BST and found a man with gunshot wounds, the force said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man's family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

A police cordon remains in place on St Bartholomew's Road and no arrests have yet been made.

At the scene, a police evidence tent could be seen behind a white Toyota Prius, which had collided with a black Range Rover.

Abdul Qadir, owner of the Range Rover, said: "My daughter heard the car alarm go off and she heard the shots, like a bomb. She heard the impact of two vehicles. And I heard people running off.

"It's the third time my car's been collided with – so I thought it's 03:00, I'm not going out to investigate.

"I just went back to sleep, because I know this happens around here.

"Then up to 10 minutes after I heard people gathering. They said someone had been shot."

A man who lives nearby, who did not want to be named, said: "Around 03:00 or 04:00 I heard a crash and then a car alarm going on, and then it went off."

He said he looked outside about an hour later, but did not see anything.

A woman who lives a short distance from the police cordon said: "We heard a bullet noise first and then a car driving very quickly.

"We thought it was boys racing. We came to know in the morning someone had been shot."

A woman, who did not want to be named, said she woke up to find the police cordon outside her house.

She said she had lived in the area for more than 50 years and usually felt safe.

She said crime was increasing in the area, but added: "It's the same everywhere isn't it?"

Another resident said: "It's made me feel really uneasy, I was going to go to work this morning and didn't because I didn't want to leave the kids.

"It's upsetting, I think this is the first time something like this has happened nearby. Generally we feel pretty safe, now we might not feel as safe."

Det Ch Insp Dan Whitten said: "We know this incident will cause concern in the local area, and I want to reassure the community that my team and I are doing everything we can to determine what happened and trace those responsible.

"Those in the area will continue to see an increased police presence throughout the day while these inquiries continue."

He asked for anyone with information on the death to come forward to police.

According to UK government data, there were 32 homicides by shooting in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025, accounting for 6% of all homicides.

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