Murdered boy's mum begs witnesses to come forward

The mother of a murdered teenager has broken down in tears as she pleaded for justice at the place where her son was shot almost seven years ago.

Yusuf Sonko, 18, was struck by a single bullet to the head when a gunman fired a volley of shots towards a group of friends in Toxteth, Liverpool, on 2 June 2017.

Eight men have been arrested but no-one has ever been charged over the A-level student's killing.

His mother Khadija Sonko said a "lot of people" in the community knew who was responsible, "but they have not given me justice".

Merseyside Police said they were certain several eyewitnesses had vital information that could unlock the case but they had not yet come forward.

Wearing a specially printed t-shirt featuring her son's photograph and the slogan Justice for Yusuf, Mrs Sonko said the murder had "broken my heart and broken my family".

Yusuf had been standing with a group of nine boys when the gunman opened fire on Tagus Street, off the busy Lodge Lane.

One suspect is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence in Spain and the force has explored "judicial processes" to speak to him.

Mrs Sonko said "not one" of the boys had even come "to give me justice and I'm sure their parents, they know".

"There's no grass, because [the killers] are horrible, they are nasty," she said.

"If you're a good person and a good character, you will come and give me justice.

"What about my son they killed?

"What about my son, who is lying down in the cemetery?"

She said any potential eyewitnesses who had yet to speak to police "will have guilt inside their stomach, they will have guilt inside of them".

"Karma is always there," she said.

"When I see his friends I get sad.

"Sometimes they hide from me because they know I will confront them.

"I ask why they haven't spoken."

Det Ch Insp Jason Pye said "things change" and advances in technology had enabled his team to gather new evidence seven years on, but his investigation still relied on witness accounts.

"Those eyewitnesses who went through an awful experience themselves seven years ago, I have no doubt they are still hurting," he said.

"I have no doubt there is not a day goes by where they don't think about doing the right thing."

Asked about the suspect in a Spanish prison, Det Ch Insp Pye said he could not go into detail while legal proceedings regarding his potential extradition were ongoing.

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