It has been two years of horror and continuous grief for the family of Tikquaan Stephenson-Walters, who was shot dead aged 28 while walking along Bravington Road near Queen’s Park on 4 September 2024.
The suspect was riding a white Honda moped and shot Tikquaan at around 11.05pm. His death is understood to have been a suspected case of mistaken identity — an innocent pedestrian caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
His aunt Bianca Walters, who raised him like a son, had to quickly clear his name so the public knew Tikquaan was not gang-affiliated or a troublemaker, but instead a “charismatic” mentor. But two years on, she continues to fight for him, with no charges brought over his murder.
In an interview, Ms Walters said it is terrifying knowing she is walking her local streets while those responsible remain at large. She said: “I say it to police all the time, we could be saying hello every day to somebody who’s been arrested for Tikquaan’s murder and we wouldn’t know.”
Police arrested three men in September 2024, then aged 28, 30 and 56, on suspicion of murder. A 23-year-old woman was arrested the same month on suspicion of assisting an offender. However, they were all released under investigation that year while police enquiries continue.
The Metropolitan Police has made clear that an investigation is ongoing despite no charges being made, after more than 100 people were interviewed and roughly 3,000 hours of CCTV footage gathered. As far as Ms Walters understands, the suspects could live locally within the Kilburn and Queen’s Park area.
She said: “We all grew up together, there was no animosity or beef. We all grew as one, but now this new generation comes and I don’t know how it’s gotten to this stage. What happened for it to get so deep that you have to kill?”
According to Ms Walters, Tikquaan was ambitious and always willing to help others. She said: “He never had trouble or no bother, he was always liked by everyone in the community.” He initially pursued a future in football at an academy, but returned to mainstream education because he was concerned about falling behind academically, redid sixth form, then went to university and gained a degree in physiotherapy before becoming a personal trainer.
It is understood that nearly 10 minutes before the shooting, the suspect was seen slowing down and watching another man. Ms Walters fears that anyone could have been caught in that attack. She said: “If they looked wrong or had a tracksuit on, that person could also be dead.”
Coming to terms with what happened has been incredibly difficult, but what has proven to be a bigger obstacle is navigating life without him. She explained: “Even now 24 months on, I still expect to see him. I know it happened, but it just doesn’t feel real. And because we’ve had no justice, it just doesn’t seem real even more, it’s like one bad nightmare. Every picture we took had him in it. But since then everything we did, he’s missing out of it.”
Ms Walters believes Tikquaan was caught in violence brought into Queen’s Park by people who did not live there. She said her family have lived in the area for decades and Tikquaan spent all 28 years on his estate. She said: “We are long-standing citizens of this community. We did not expect Tikquaan of all people to be walking down the street and anything like that to happen to him.”
Following Tikquaan’s death, Ms Walters was contacted by Lucy Cope, founder of Mothers Against Guns, whose son Damian Cope was shot aged 22 outside a nightclub in Holborn in July 2002. After years of supporting bereaved families, she passed on her role to Ms Walters, who has also started another organisation called Be a Miracle in her nephew’s memory, turning grief into efforts to support other families. She said: “A lot of positives have come out of a really terrible situation.”
It has become Ms Walters’ mission to push police for preventive rather than reactive measures. She said: “There’ll be more Tikquaan’s, that’s the sad thing. Because nothing is being done about it.” She has also said bereaved parents need to be part of government conversations: “The government holds the power to change a lot of things that we cannot change, but we are ignored.” She concluded: “That feeling of losing Tikquaan will never get better, he’s never coming back.”
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “For his family and friends, we know Tikquaan’s tragic death is still very difficult to come to terms with, and our thoughts remain with them. We continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry, and our investigation remains very much ongoing. We have made four arrests as a result of our enquiries, spoken to more than 100 people, and gathered roughly 3,000 hours of CCTV footage. We are determined to secure justice for Tikquaan and his loved ones.”
Anyone with information, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 3661/02SEP26, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Other recent court cases in the capital include a man charged with attempted murder after an Islington shooting and stabbing and an Islington voyeur jailed for four years.
