I guess the criminals wern't paying attention.
I love the one about the Uzi machinegun
February 11, 2002
From "The Sunday Times of London"
Two shot dead in revenge after bar-room brawl
By Stewart Tendler and David Brown
TWO drinkers were shot dead outside a quiet suburban public house in a revenge attack over a bar-room brawl, police said yesterday.
The dead men were blasted with a shotgun. A friend who was with them was stabbed in the attack by three men in the car park of the Good Companions public house in Sanderstead, South Croydon.
Anthony Ellison, 27, from Coulsdon, South London, and Michael Jones, 25, from nearby South Croydon, both unemployed, were killed in what a senior detective said was an “horrific retaliatory crime”.
The murders come amid growing worry at Scotland Yard and the Home Office about the rise of armed crime in London. On Wednesday David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is meeting Rudolph Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York, to discover how he cut violent crime.
Friends and family of the two dead men gathered outside the Good Companions yesterday to pay their respects. Many of the mourners were in tears as they inspected a pile of flowers left in tribute.
One message on the flowers said: “To Michael, you’ll never be forgotten, goodnight mate and sleep tight.” Another said: “Dear Ant, a top bloke. Always remember you.”
The third man who is also in his 20s is believed to have been stabbed up to 13 times. Yesterday he was being treated at the Mayday Hospital in Croydon. His condition was said to be serious but stable.
Detectives believe that the dead men were members of a party of five drinkers who had been at the bar of the White Lion in Warlingham, Surrey, early on Saturday evening. The pub was not their regular haunt and an argument developed which ended in a fight. All five were thrown out of the public house and walked to the Good Companions where they often drank.
About 40 minutes after the fight three men, all thought to be in their 40s or 50s, turned up in a car looking for revenge and carrying at least one shotgun. They caught three of the five in the car park and opened fire on them before fleeing.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Heseldon said: “The early indication is that this a case of massive overreaction. There is nothing to suggest this is drug-related, gang- related or anything else.”
He said: “We are keeping an open mind as to the motive, but it does appear to be retaliatory action as a result of the earlier altercation. It is an horrific crime, particularly in such a quiet, peaceful area.”
A man in his 50s was under arrest for the murders yesterday and being questioned by detectives. Police are also looking for two other men.
One is in his late 30s or early 40s, about 5ft 10in, slim, with short black hair and a goatee beard. He was wearing a green fleece jacket. The other man is described as between 6ft and 6ft 2in, slim, believed to be in his 50s, with greased-back short mousey brown hair.
Police firearms experts are examining three shotguns and ammunition found in a car in Surrey after the shooting. The guns were all legally held.