A drill rapper boasted about the murder of a man who was shot dead outside a child’s first birthday party in song lyrics that revealed a fact not even known to police, a court has heard.
Kacey Boothe, 25, was targeted in a “well-planned and carefully orchestrated attack” that took place “against a background of violent incidents” between rival gangs, prosecutor Anthony Orchard KC said.
Jurors were told the gun had been used seven times before the shooting on 13 August last year – including in an attack on the victim’s older brother Kyle Boothe, who survived, just over two years earlier.
Drill rapper Kammar Henry-Richards, 25, who goes by the stage name Kay-O, made reference to the killing in a video on 1 September last year, the Old Bailey heard.
“Big Boothe and Little got hit, same Sig, that’s a sour family,” the lyrics read.
“Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.”
Mr Orchard said: “A boast was being made that the same ‘Sig’ [gun] had been used to shoot both Kacey Boothe and his elder brother Kyle Boothe.
“This fact was known only to those involved in the shootings and not to the police at that time.”
Mr Boothe died after he was shot in his car outside the Peterhouse Community Centre in Walthamstow, northeast London.
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His close friend Khalid Samanter, the father of the child whose birthday was being celebrated, is said to have been the intended target.
The court heard the shooting was part of a feud between the London Fields gang, with whom Mr Boothe and Mr Samanter associated, and rivals the E9’ers.
Henry-Richards, Kadeem Brightly-Barnes, 31, his half-brother Kamani Brightly-Donaldson, 23, Jeffrey Gyimah, 21, Joao Pateco-Te, 26, and Roody Thomas, 26, all deny the murder of Mr Boothe, conspiracy to murder Mr Samanter and conspiracy to possess a firearm or firearms with intent to endanger life.
Mr Orchard said: “The prosecution case is that these defendants had conspired together and with others unknown to kill Mr Samanter.
“On the second occasion, when Mr Samanter wasn’t available, Kacey Boothe was shot dead.
“The prosecution case is each of these defendants were party to the conspiracy to kill Mr Samanter.
“They also intended that should Samanter not be an available target, then another London Fields associate, in this case Kacey Boothe, should be shot.
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“Each assisted and encouraged the gunman in the execution of that plan.”
Brightly-Donaldson and Gyimah further deny possession of a prohibited firearm, while Gyimah and Thomas deny possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.
The trial continues.
