Sheffield : Shot boy ‘hid life from family’

BBc News

16/07/08

The father of a boy shot dead in Sheffield in a possible gang-related attack said he did not realise the lifestyle his son was involved in.

Tarek Chaiboub, 17, from Wincobank, was gunned down in a barber’s shop on Spital Street in Burgreave on Friday.

His father Rashid Chaiboub said: “I did not realise that his destiny was shaping outside of my hands.”

Police said Tarek, who died from gun shot wounds to his back, was probably carrying a gun when he was killed.

At a police news conference Mr Chaiboub urged other parents to have a close relationship with their children to prevent similar deaths.

He added: “Our son Tarek was growing up as a self-confident shining boy with an independent personality which I was proud of.

My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids Rashid Chaiboub, father of Tarek

“But he was not sharing much of his thoughts and feelings with us as a family.

“My message to parents is do not rely much on the independence of your kids. Get closer to them. Kids remain kids.”

The teenager who was known locally as GT had two sisters and a brother.

Police said they were pursuing some positive information from members of the public about the shooting, which could be gang-related.

Ch Supt Paul Broadbent said: “In my opinion there may well be a gang element involved in this particular crime.”

The senior officer said he could not yet confirm reports that the victim had been released from hospital a week earlier after a knife attack on him.

Mr Broadbent admitted Tarek was known to police before his death and said the investigation was looking at whether it was a gang-related attack.

The officer added: “This is a tragic, awful, loss of life. This was someone’s son, brother.”

Stab victim Tarek Caiboub, 17, shot dead a

week later in Sheffield

13/07/08

Times Online, UK

Tributes, both physical and virtual, to another victim of teenage gang violence were building up yesterday.

Tarek Chaiboub, 17, was shot dead outside a barber’s shop in the Burnage area of Sheffield on Friday afternoon. He was hit in the lower back by a number of rounds fired by a gunman who, one witness said, looked to be aged about 14 or 15.

The teenager, whose parents are believed to be from a Syrian background, was not a youthful innocent. He is believed to have been a member of a gang called the S3 Army, which is engaged in a feud with the S4 Army. The gangs are named after the postcode areas from which they originate.

Less than a week before his death, he was attacked and stabbed near his home in what is thought to have been a clash between the gangs. That attack took place soon after he had attended the funeral of another murder victim, who died after suffering knife wounds in June at a Sheffield nightclub.

The latest victim, who was known to South Yorkshire police because of his involvement in gang activity, had taken to carrying a gun after the stabbing incident. His killer is thought to have followed him into Freddie’s barber shop and shot him before the victim was able to draw his own weapon. He staggered outside and collapsed on the street. Police recovered a gun close to his body. South Yorkshire police refused to say what type of guns were used in the incident.

The city, in which the former Home Secretary David Blunkett is an MP, is not on the Government’s list of eight hotspot areas where the latest antigang measures will be focused.

But this is not the first time that rivalry between the S3 and S4 gangs has turned into gunfire on the streets.

Last October Jonathan Matondo, 16, was shot dead at a recreation ground in the Pitsmoor areas of the city. Nicknamed “Venomous”, Matondo knew the latest victim and also had gang connections.

Tributes at the scene of the latest shooting included flowers, candles and cards referring to the friendship between the two murdered teenagers.

One message left on a tribute page on the Bebo social networking site said: “I bet you and ‘Ven’ are repping Sheff to da fullest up dere man.”

Several messages described the victim, whose nickname was GT, in gangster slang as “a fallen soljah [soldier]”.

The Bebo site dedicated to him is titled “Rest In Peace Terror Kid” and attracted hundreds of messages over the weekend.

The dead youth’s identity was confirmed after a postmortem examination. A police spokesman said: “It showed that he died from injuries caused after he was shot in the back.”

Chief Superintendent Paul Broadbent, of Sheffield police, promised a tough response and cautioned gang members not to become involved in revenge attacks. Mr Broadbent said: “There may well be a gang element in this crime. Some may wish to take the law into their own hands. Let’s not do that – we can all genuinely work together on this. This is a tragic loss of life and we have resolved to make sure we find out who has committed this crime and the full force of the law is used to convict them. A robust police investigation has been launched.”

Mr Broadbent also emphasised that the threat of violence was not widespread in the city. “We are quite satisfied that the victim was the intended subject of the assault and he had been involved in some altercations previously.”

Friends of the dead youth said that he had three siblings and added that his mother had been overseas visiting relatives at the time he was killed.

One told the Sheffield Star: “It’s all to do with gang wars and it’s pathetic, really. They’re supposed to be friends. They spend their days killing their friends.”