Murder investigation in east London after man shot dead in car

The incident occurred at around 3am on August 18, when officers were called to reports of gunshots on St Bartholomew's Road, Newham.

A man in his 40s was found inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

A crime scene remains in place on Tuesday morning, with detectives working to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

Detective Chief Inspector Dan Whitten, who is leading the investigation for the Metropolitan Police, said: “Firstly, our thoughts remain with the friends and family of the man who has sadly died.

“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 enquiries continue.

“We are asking anyone with information, or who may have witnessed anything in the early hours of the morning, to please contact us. Any piece of information, no matter how small, could be vital to our investigation.”

Anyone with any information or footage that may assist the investigation has been urged to contact police on 101, quoting CAD797/18AUG, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Newham was one of the boroughs with the highest number of gun related offences, with 76 recorded by the Met in the past year.

The data, taken from the Met’s monthly crime data statistics, shows that there were a total of 1,679 gun crime offences recorded by Met Police officers across the capital between August 2025 and July 2026.

This is down from 1,918 offences in the year previously, but is still comfortably above the 1,492 offences between August 2022 and July 2023, and the 1,624 offences between August 2023 and July 2024.