U.K. Court Convicts Nigerian Teen and Accomplices in Fatal Shooting Linked to Snapchat Dispute

A United Kingdom court has convicted 18-year-old Nigerian-born Emmanuel Popoola and four others for the fatal shooting of teenager Keanu Harker, a case that investigators say began with insults exchanged in a Snapchat group chat.

The convictions were handed down on Monday, July 6, at the Old Bailey following a six-week trial.

Alongside Popoola, accomplices Tayvon Etefia, Eliezer Mbaki, Anais King, and a 17-year-old boy whose identity is protected were found guilty.

According to the Metropolitan Police, Harker was shot in the head and chest on June 26, 2025, while riding his bicycle along Great Cambridge Road in Enfield, north London.

Investigators said Popoola and Etefia followed the victim on a Sur-ron electric bike before Popoola opened fire.

Digital forensic analysis of mobile phones revealed that Popoola became enraged after being mocked in a Snapchat group chat over claims that he could not afford mobile data.

The prosecution also presented drill rap videos allegedly showing gang members boasting about the killing.

Prosecutor Louise Oakley told the court that after being shot, Harker “fell off his bicycle onto the road” but “managed to crawl a short distance into the front garden of a residential address” before dying. The attackers fled without stopping.

Following the shooting, Popoola attempted to escape to France on a Eurostar train after his girlfriend, King, bought him a one-way ticket to Paris.

Etefia also tried to flee but was arrested by police aboard a train at St Pancras International before departure. French authorities later arrested Popoola in Paris on August 3, 2025, and he was extradited to the UK on August 14.

Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card, who led the investigation, said, “Our painstaking investigation established that Keanu was murdered because his killers took offence to something that was said in a social media group chat.

Rather than ignore the comments, Emmanuel Popoola armed himself with a pistol and, with the help of Tayvon Etefia, carried out a drive-by shooting. This was cowardly and disproportionate violence”.

Harker’s family described the verdict as only “some measure of justice,” adding, “Our son had just turned 18 when these individuals decided to take his life. We have been left with a lifetime of pain and loss that can never be undone”.

They urged action against gang violence, saying, “Something must change before more young lives are taken and more parents are forced to endure the pain that we now live with every day”.

Popoola and Etefia are scheduled to be sentenced on July 9 and 10, while Mbaki will be sentenced during the same period . The 17-year-old will be sentenced on August 7, and King’s sentencing date has yet to be fixed.