Man, 30, arrested over shooting of 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne-Blake in London

A 30-year-old man has been arrested over the murder of Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17, on Monday.

Scotland Yard said the man was arrested on Friday morning at an address in the E9 area of London on suspicion of murder.

Eyewitnesses have described the moment 17-year-old Tanesha died in her mother’s arms after the shooting in Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, north London just before 9.30pm on Monday.

Her brother Hakeem Blake has since paid tribute to the teenager, telling the BBC she was in “the wrong place at the wrong time”.

He said he had left London because “every other day if it’s not a stabbing, it’s a shooting” and crimes often followed a “tit-for-tat” pattern.

Police were called to Chalgrove Road on Monday to reports of a shooting, where officers and paramedics found Tanesha with a gunshot wound..

Despite their efforts, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.43pm.

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Scotland Yard said the 30-year-old man arrested on Friday morning was taken to a London police station and remains in custody.

It is believed that shots were fired from a vehicle into a group of people, hitting Tanesha, the force said, and detectives are trying to find out what type of car it was and how many people were in at, as well as in the group that was shot at.

The force said it is “keeping an open mind” about the motive for the attack.

Detective Inspector Beverley Kofi, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “We are appealing to anybody who witnessed the incident and has not yet come forward, or who in the hours since this shocking murder are privy to information that could help us find those responsible.

“You may be fearful of repercussions of speaking to police, or have loyalties that you believe can’t be compromised. We are dealing with the fatal shooting of a teenage girl, and would implore you to do the right thing and come forward.”

The Met said extra officers have been deployed to the area where the shooting happened, with specialist teams supporting local officers.

In an interview with the BBC, Tanesha’s brother Hakeem Blake, said: “She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“It’s crazy at the moment,” he said. “That’s why I left. I left like two years ago. I realised it’s crazy.

“Every other day if it’s not a stabbing it’s a shooting or something happening.”

He said retaliation often played a big part, adding: “It’s always just this, that, tit-for-tat.”

A woman who knew Tanesha said she was “just chilling with her friends” when she was shot.

(Top picture: PA)