Fears grew today of fresh violence between feuding drug gangs in north London after the shooting of a suspected "boss" in broad daylight.
The 32-year-old victim, understood to be a Turkish man of Kurdish parentage, was said to have been a major player in the feared Bombacilar (Bombers) gang.
Witnesses said he was shot dead by members of the rival Tottenham Boys outside Turnpike Lane Tube station as he made his way to a nearby snooker hall, allegedly a Bombacilar hang-out.
Police said the man, named locally as "Ali", was in his car in Langham Road when two men fired a volley of shots through the window before running off. Between six and eight shots were fired from a handgun.
A Police Community Support Officer who was nearby rushed to his aid, and paramedics soon arrived, but he could not be saved and was later pronounced dead.
Bus controller Lindsay Roussel said: "I heard five loud shots from in my office. I told my colleague it was a gun and he said 'you're joking'.
"Then when I went out I saw a guy lying on his back on the floor near the barber's shop. He was holding his neck. There was blood everywhere. He was already dead.
"I don't just think it was drug-related, I already know it is. There's a lot of drug violence around here. It's a very rough area."
Extra police were on patrol today and officers said they "fear reprisal attacks".
A Turkish resident, who would not give his name, said the killing was due to the rivalry between the gangs.
He said: "His nickname was 'Girl Ali'. He was going to the snooker club above some shops. Maybe to do a deal, maybe to hang out. They followed him and with lots of people around it was easy to just shoot him.
"The Hackney Boys (Bombacilar), the Tottenham Boys, everyone knows of these gangs. They have been around for a long time. Everyone is worried there will be more trouble now."
Three years ago an argument between two mid-level rival gang members in the Manor Club pool hall led to three fatal shootings, including of Ahmet Paytak, 50, a Holloway shopkeeper killed in a case of mistaken identity.
Turkish gangs in north London control most of the heroin smuggled into Britain, using murder, extortion and racketeering, with the Bombacilar and Tottenham Boys fighting for dominance.
Police appealed for anyone with information to call the incident room on 0208 733 4704 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
