Three men jailed after daylight shooting in Croydon

Three men who carried out a coordinated firearms attack on a man sitting in his car in a residential street have been jailed following a fast-paced Met Police investigation.

The victim, a man in his 30s, was ambushed while he was standing beside his parked car in New Addington one evening in May 2025.

A black saloon car pulled alongside him before one of the passengers got out and fired two shots at close range.

The victim had managed to jump into the driver’s seat of his car moments before the attack.

The first shot smashed through the windscreen and narrowly missed him. The gunman then ran around the victim’s car before firing a second shot through the driver’s side window, striking him in the chest.

Despite suffering serious injuries, the victim survived and has since recovered.

The following men were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, 23 July:

Tevin Nzita, 29 (15.07.95), of Warbank Crescent, Croydon was sentenced to 25 years’ custodial

Anthony Da Sousa, 30 (30.01.95), of Station Approach, Coulsdon was sentenced to 15 years’ custodial

Christopher Da Sousa, 27 (30.01.99), of Mickleham Way, Croydon was sentenced to 4 years’ custodial

Detective Constable John Davis, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, who led the investigation, said:

“This was an incredibly dangerous attack carried out in a residential street where innocent members of the public could easily have been caught in the crossfire.

“The offenders acted together to locate the victim, track his movements and carry out a planned shooting using a sawn-off shotgun capable of killing. Their actions showed a complete disregard for human life.

“Our investigation combined CCTV enquiries, forensic evidence, mobile phone analysis and eyewitness accounts to build an overwhelming case that proved the role each man played.

“The Met remains relentless in targeting those involved in gun crime. Since 2018, firearms discharges in London have fallen by almost 90 per cent and last year we seized 75 per cent more firearms than the previous year. Every illegal firearm we recover is one less weapon capable of devastating our communities.”

The investigation

Officers were called shortly after 19:26hrs on Wednesday, 21 May 2025 following reports that shots had been fired on Walsh Crescent.

Armed and local officers quickly secured the scene while detectives launched an investigation, working at pace to identify those responsible. The victim had already made his way to a nearby hospital before they had arrived.

Officers recovered a mobile phone from the victim’s car, which contained footage of the victim and another man confronting Tevin Nzita around ten minutes before the shooting, enabling detectives to identify Nzita as the suspected gunman within hours and quickly establish the shooting was a targeted retaliation.

Detectives then reviewed extensive CCTV footage, traced the movements of the suspects before and after the attack and built a detailed picture of how the shootings had been planned and carried out.

The investigation established that Nzita fired the shotgun, Anthony Da Sousa drove the saloon car used in the attack and his brother Christopher Da Sousa played a key role in finding the victim, giving directions and assisting with preparations beforehand.

Phone records showed the defendants were in contact at crucial moments before and after the shooting, while location data placed them at key locations.

Forensic examinations confirmed the weapon used was a sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun fired at close range.

Following extensive CCTV enquiries, detectives tracked the suspects’ vehicle to Old Coulsdon, around six miles from the scene of the shooting, where it had initially been hidden beneath a cover. Investigators established Anthony Da Sousa had arranged for damage to the car to be repaired before having cloned number plates fitted.

Their swift investigative work resulted in Anthony Da Sousa and Tevin Nzita being arrested within two weeks of the shooting.

Christopher Da Sousa was later identified and arrested in December.

Key video evidence used in the trial included footage filmed by the victim showing Tevin Nzita shortly before the shooting, CCTV capturing the suspects’ movements before and after the attack, and audio capturing the sound of the gunshots.

Criminal proceedings

Following a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, all three defendants were convicted on Thursday, 4 June.

Tevin Nzita was convicted of attempted murder while Anthony Da Sousa was convicted of wounding with intent.

Both were also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Christopher Da Sousa was convicted of encouraging or assisting the commission of one or more offences.

Tackling gun crime

Reducing gun crime remains a priority for the Met Police.

Over the past 18 months, the number of the most serious violent offences has fallen by almost 20 per cent, while lethal gunshot victims have reduced by 27 per cent.

Gun crime has more than halved since 2020 and officers seized 75 per cent more firearms last year than the previous year.

Since 2018, firearms discharges across London have reduced by almost 90 per cent, reflecting the Met’s sustained focus on removing illegal weapons from the streets and bringing violent offenders to justice.