Two men arrested over murder of mother of nine and nephew

Detectives investigating a double fatal shooting of a mother of nine and her nephew have arrested two men on suspicion of murder.

Annie Besala Ekofo, 53, and Bervil Kalikaka-Ekofo, 21, were gunned down at a flat in north London in what is feared to have been a case of mistaken identity.

Scotland Yard said they arrested a 20-year-old man in the early hours of Saturday who has since been released on bail.

A second man, aged 24, was arrested on Sunday and taken into custody at a north London police station. Both were arrested on suspicion of murder.

The Met revealed it has also been established that Mr Kalikaka-Ekofo, a psychology student, died from a gunshot wound to the head. His post-mortem was carried out at Northwick Park Hospital Mortuary on Saturday.

A post-mortem examination for Mrs Besala is yet to take place.

Officers were called to the scene on Elmshurst Crescent, East Finchley at around 6.25am on Thursday to reports of two people injured at the address.

On arrival they found they were suffering from gunshot injuries and both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time of the killings four other people, including a child, were also at the property but were not harmed.

On Saturday Scotland Yard said it had found "no evidence to suggest Mrs Besala or Mr Kalikaka-Ekofo were the intended targets of the shooting".

Detectives said they were keeping an open mind as to the motive for the attack - as well as investigating whether anyone else associated with the address was the target.

Mr Kalikaka-Ekofo's father, Patrick Ekofo, said his son "never looked for trouble".

Mrs Besala was described as a "wonderful and loving mother and wife" who was "glue that kept everyone together" in a statement from her relatives.

Police say their enquiries into the incident are continuing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0300, or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.