North London gang busted after suspect caught with gun and knife at Luton Parkway station

An organized crime gang has been busted by police after a member was caught with a gun at Luton Parkway station. Tyrell McKoy also had ammunition and a lock knife hidden in a white sports sock when he was met by armed officers from Herts and Beds Police, acting on behalf of the Met, in response to a long-running row, that nearly killed a two-year-old man.

A surveillance operation suggested McKoy had picked up a bag containing the gun from another alleged gang associate earlier that morning before heading to the station. When the gunman was stopped, police discovered a black handgun, ammunition and a lock knife tucked into a sock. A photo from a body-worn camera shows the moment McKoy was handcuffed.

The arrest was not the end of the investigation, however. Police then analyzed hundreds of hours of CCTV and checked mobile phone data. Through this, they were able to prove a link between McKoy and four other gang affiliates. DNA from a plastic bag wrapped around the gun, matched to one of these men. All were arrested, charged and convicted.

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The operation was part of a response to a shooting in 2020, when a woman and her two-year-old child were shot while sitting in a car. The bullet that hit the child missed a crucial artery by just 1 mm, which could have been fatal.

Police believe the shooting was part of a long-running feud between organized crime groups in north London, which have been responsible for killings for more than a decade.

It was the catalyst for a major operation in north-west London to target gun users. In the past four years since the operation began, there have been no fatal shootings in the area, more than 50 lethal firearms have been recovered and there have been 64 convictions with 367 years in prison. Police also seized over 110kg of Class A drugs.

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