Gang members jailed for life after shooting rival at children’s birthday party

Four men have been jailed after killing a man in a gang shooting outside of a child’s first birthday party.

Kacey Boothe, 25, was shot dead outside the Peterhouse Community Centre in Walthamstow in August 2022.

He was shot two years after his brother Kyle has been shot with the same weapon.

Kacey’s friend Khalid Samanter, the father of the one-year-old, had been the intended target of the hit.

Kamani Brightly-Donaldson, 24, Jeffrey Gyimah, 22, Joao Pateco-Te, 27 and drill rapper Kammar Henry-Richards, 26, have been jailed for a total of 147 years.

Henry-Richards is a successful drill rapper known as ‘Kay-O’ and boasted about killing Mr Boothe in a rap music video called ‘Laughing Stock’.

The lyrics read: ‘Big Boothe and Little got hit, same sig, that’s a sour family.

‘Both got slapped at functions, neck and head, handguns come handy.’

‘Big Boothe shoulda lurked, got his neck back ripped. Lil’ got burst, shoulda bin with his.’

Mr Boothe’s mother Marcia Rowe had said: ‘My whole world fell apart that night of the 13th August 2022 when I rushed to the hospital to be told by a doctor they could not save my son’s life.

‘It has been 17 months and I am still struggling to accept I have lost my son. I have not been able to change Kacey’s bedroom or move any of his belongings.

‘Kacey had a very bubbly personality like mine but I feel like I will never be the same person again, the person I used to be has faded away.’

‘This unexplained, callous murder had taken away Kacey’s dreams and aspirations, at the age of just 25 when he had his whole life ahead of him.’

Shanice Thomas-Brown, the mother of Mr Booth’s two children, said in her statement: ‘I lost my life partner, my best friend and my kids were left without their dad.

‘I did not just lose Kacey, I lost my peace of mind, I lost my motivation, I lost my will to live, I lost my sanity. I lost myself.

‘On my way to the hospital, I got a call from Marcia which turned out to be the worst news of my life. She told me that Kacey was dead and I still did not believe it. I said “no he’s not” and hung up the phone. I got to the hospital and reality hit me.

‘I cry myself to sleep every night and take sleeping pills because it is a struggle to fall asleep when I see Kacey’s face every time I close my eyes’

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