A childhood friend and colleague of a Deliveroo driver killed in a drive-by shooting in Brixton has spoken of the fears his fellow workers have for their safety in the job.
Takeaway delivery driver Guilherme Messias da Silva, 23, was dropping off his last order of the day in Brixton last Sunday when he was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Guilherme, who came from Petrolina de Goias near the Brazilian capital Brasilia, died from his injuries after being hit by one of the cars as it careered out of control during the shooting.
The other victim of the shooting was drill rapper Lemar Rashawan Urqhart, widely known as Perm, who is believed to have been the target of the attack.
Police have launched a manhunt for the killers, who remain at large.
A friend that grew up with Guilherme, who wanted to be known only as Ramonê, told the Mirror that his death had sent shockwaves through their social group, many of whom also worked as takeaway delivery drivers.
Ramonê said the incident had created concerns amongst his other driver friends around the safety of their work.
“It can be really dangerous in the city which means it can be specifically really dangerous for us drivers," he said.
“It’s a hard time in London, in general the crime rate has gone up and up.”
Ramone said few of the drivers he knew working for Deliveroo felt the company supported them.
However, he noted this was in part due to the set up in which drivers bought their own vehicle and were largely responsible for their own safety.
“There are always bikes being stolen and that kind of thing going on," he said.
“Of course, we don’t want the police authorities to always be chasing other people around, for anyone to be on the street being stopped by police and being asked questions.
“But people do say that there are ways to prevent a little bit more these criminalities that are happening (sic).
“Now this case has of course highlighted how bad it is."
A spokesperson from Deliveroo said that riders' safety and security was the company's priority and that every step was taken to ensure they felt safe on the road.
"Our dedicated rider engagement team has been speaking with riders, in Brixton and across the UK, to share our condolences and support at this difficult time," they said.
"We are also in contact with the Metropolitan Police to provide any assistance we can in their investigation."
It went on to say that if a rider was ever concerned about completing an order, they could contact Deliveroo's rider support team to report their concerns and be unassigned from that order.
Riders were automatically insured for free and a 24 hour helpline was available, providing personal support and counselling services. Deliveroo also worked with Flare, to provide a safety app available to riders that shared a rider's location with an emergency contact in case of an accident.
Ramonê had known Guilherme from their hometown since he was around 12-years-old, he said, and had reconnected with him when he moved to London.
Guilherme had lived and worked for a stint in Belgium, before moving back to Brazil for a period and then relocating to the UK where he had a wider circle of friends.
This move came with its own challenges; Ramone said the pay had been better in Belgium and his friend had to work a lot in the UK to make ends meet. It was believed Guilherme had planned to quit his job and go back to Brazil in December.
In spite of this, Ramonê said it had been nice to reconnect with his friend, who he said was a “friendly, easy-going person who worked for what he wanted”.
Ramonê himself worked as a Deliveroo driver in a different part of London, alongside his work as a DJ.
Guilherme had enjoyed coming out to listen to his music when he played, Ramonê said, adding that this had been the last thing they had spoken about on Instagram.
Ramonê was devastated when he heard of Guilherme's death, he said. He had heard of the crash through a friend, but was initially told it wasn't clear how badly he had been hurt.
"About 30 minutes later, friends were saying it was likely he was dead," Ramonê recalled.
Guilherme's friend group had their own send off on Sunday, Ramonê said, when they met in Streatham at Brazilian restaurant Copacabana before driving to Brixton, where the accident happened.
They laid flowers at the scene and "took a moment to remember him", Ramonê said.
A police statement issued on Monday night confirmed the names of the two victims as Guilherme Messias Da Silva and Lemar Rashawan Urqhart. Police were "working around the clock to identify and arrest those involved" in the incident, it said.
Detective Chief Inspector Sal Minhas, from Specialist Crime, added: "The death of these two young men is a stark reminder of the work we need to do to tackle violent crime in our communities.
“While a number of people have come forward with information, we are urging anyone else who has any further details to speak to us on 0208 721 4961 or to Crimestoppers, an independent charity who will treat your information in the strictest of confidence. ”
Guilherme’s work friend had set up the GoFundMe page with the purpose of getting his body home.
In just six days, the page had raised more than £16,000 - enough for repatriation. The remainder would be sent home to his family.
An update on the page on Tuesday said it could take close to two months for his body to be released by police, depending on the investigation.
Ramonê said he had been asking if he and the remainder of Guilherme's friends could meet to see the body and have their own funeral of sorts, but wasn't sure if this was going to happen.
“Of course his family, his mum, they want to see him. So the idea is to send him back to Brazil and have the funeral there," Ramonê said.
Guilherme's mother, nursing technician Rosângela Messias de Sousa, told local news outlet G1 that she "went into dispair" after learning of her son's death.
"It's very sad, my heart is bleeding," she said.
