Teenager Tanesha Melbourne dies in mother's arms after London shooting

A teenage girl shot in north London died cradled in her mother's arms, a woman who tried to save her has said.

Tanesha Melbourne, 17, was found with gunshot wounds in Tottenham shortly after 9.30pm on Monday.

Her mother laid flowers at the scene on Tuesday. A card read: "To my baby Nesha. I'm gonna miss you so much, you're always gonna be with me everywhere I go."

It was signed: "Love Mummy."

The death came amid a spike in the murder investigations in London. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said officers have launched a murder investigation after a 16-year-old died in hospital from his injuries in a shooting in east London.

He was the 46th person to be killed in the capital this year before another man died during a suspected burglary in Hither Green on Wednesday morning.

Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said mothers are getting frightened when they say goodbye as their children leave the house.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I live in the inner city, I've always lived in the inner city. Many of these incidents have taken place in Hackney, Walthamstow, Tottenham, and it's deeply traumatising for communities and very frightening for mothers who feel they say goodbye to their son or daughter in the morning and they may not come back."

Paramedics battled to save Tanesha but she was pronounced dead in Chalgrove Road, a residential street near Northumberland Park station, at 10.43pm.

A 21-year-old woman, who said she knew her, said the teenager was "just chilling with her friends" when she was shot from a car for "no reason at all".

She went on: "The car just pulled up and just started shooting."

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The witness described how the girl's mother arrived before paramedics, adding: "She was screaming. She didn't know what to do."

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Describing the victim as a "good girl", she said: "She didn't deserve that. Her mum didn't deserve to watch her die."

The victim's uncle, Wayne Melbourne, told Sky News Tanesha Melbourne was a "good girl".

"She's finished her schooling and gone on to work," he said. "She's never hung around with any gang crime or anything."

He said Tanesha's mother, who is his sister, was "devastated" by the death of her first child.

Referring to claims Tanesha was caught in cross-fire, he said: "If you are going to shoot at someone shouldn't you make sure you are pointing (the gun) at the right person?

"And if you hit the wrong person, shouldn't you stop and hold your hands up? You should think about all the mums and sisters and brothers out there."

He went on: "We've got to stomp on black-on-black crime. We've got to educate our youth that gun crime and drugs are not the way forward".

A friend of the teenager said: "Tanesha was a very well known, very lovable little girl in the community, she was not involved in any sort of problems with anyone.

"I can't believe she's gone. She was just an innocent child caught up in this stupid postcode war."

Candice Hassan, who was in the same year at Gladesmore Community School as Tanesha, said: "I saw her Snapchat at 8.30 - literally an hour before she got shot, and then I get a phone call saying she's dead.

"She was just a humble girl, she was just starting her life. She didn't even turn 18 yet. She was just a nice girl, she didn't deserve any of it."

Rapper Wretch 32, who is from Tottenham, tweeted: "North London were better then this man smh R.I.P to the young angel who lost her life last night. love & prayers to the family. I'm honestly lost for words."

In a second shooting on the same night, a 16-year-old boy was found with gunshot injuries around three miles away in Walthamstow, east London.

He died in hospital from his injuries, the police said in an update on Tuesday as they announced the opening of the investigation.

His family were with him when he passed away, the force added.

A second boy, aged 15, has been discharged from hospital after being treated for stab wounds.

Police have said the two shootings are not linked, and are being dealt with by two different police teams.

Another incident on Sunday evening left a 16-year-old boy in hospital after he was stabbed near Bow in east London.

Four teenage boys - two aged 16 and two aged 15 - have been charged with GBH after appearing at Stratford Youth Court.