Police probe possible link between Brixton drive-by shooting and stabbing

Police are investigating whether a drive-by shooting on Coldharbour Lane and a stabbing in nearby Acre Lane were linked, after both attacks left men fighting for their lives in south London.

Officers were called at 1.14am on Saturday, 2 May 2026, to reports of shots fired from a vehicle in Brixton. Four people were hurt at the scene: a 25-year-old man, a 21-year-old, a 47-year-old and a 70-year-old. The 25-year-old man remained in a life-threatening condition, while the other three were taken to hospital with injuries later assessed as not life-threatening or life-changing.

Police said specialist crime officers arrived within four minutes of the first call. The London Ambulance Service said it treated four patients at the scene, taking two to a major trauma centre and two to a local hospital.

About an hour later, officers were called at 2.17am to Acre Lane, where a 33-year-old man was found with multiple stab wounds. He also remained in a life-threatening condition. The Metropolitan Police has not made any arrests and is trying to identify those responsible for both attacks.

Detective Chief Inspector Allam Bhangoo, who is leading the investigation, described the shooting as an "act of indiscriminate violence" and said officers were working "at pace" to identify suspects. Police said an increased presence would remain in the area over the coming days as they appealed for witnesses and anyone with footage or information to come forward.

Witnesses said the shooting broke out during a late-night barbecue gathering near Southwyck House estate. Robert, a local resident, said the barbecue was "packed". Moh John, a worker at Payless Food & Wine, said people ran into the shop after the gunshots and he locked the door to shelter them.

The close timing and geography have put detectives on alert for a possible chain of retaliatory violence in one of south London’s busiest residential corridors. Coldharbour Lane and Acre Lane sit within the same patch of Brixton, where police now face the task of determining whether the shooting and stabbing were separate crimes or part of one escalating confrontation.