Footage has captured the final moments of a "much-loved" elderly man who was stabbed to death while riding his mobility scooter home.
CCTV shows 87-year-old Thomas O'Halloran on his way back from busking to raise money for Ukraine outside a Tesco branch in Greenford, West London.
The clip was taken just 20 minutes before he was fatally attacked a mile away from the store.
Shop worker Ronak Patel recognised Thomas in the footage after seeing him going back and forth on his scooter, where he kept donations in a yellow box, on a daily basis.
He told the Mirror: "That's him, he went past here twice every day on his way to and from Tesco to play his accordion."
Further footage, obtained by the Mirror, is believed to show Thomas’s final moments as he travels unsuspectingly, just a few hundred metres away, to the area was attacked.
He is videoed at 2.55pm on a camera that runs an hour slow, making the actual time 3:55pm - just minutes before he was stabbed.
The video comes after police shared pictures of a man who they want to identify "as a matter of urgency".
He was wearing grey shorts, a dark coloured t-shirt, a white baseball cap and white patterned builder style gloves.
A Tesco security guard claimed that he recognised the man pictured by police fleeing the scene as a local shoplifter who allegedly attempted to pinch from the store before.
“He wasn’t in the store yesterday but the old man was playing, he plays outside here every afternoon,” he told the Mirror.
“I think the man will have followed or chased Thomas. He was raising quite a lot of money.”
Police believe Thomas was stabbed in Western Avenue shortly after 4pm, before managing to travel around 75 yards to Runnymede Gardens where he flagged down a passerby.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation, said: “We are keen to identify the man in the CCTV images as a matter of urgency.
"He is clearly a dangerous individual and people are advised not to approach him, but to call us immediately on 999 if they know him or have any information regarding his whereabouts.
“My team and I have been working around the clock to bring Mr O’Halloran’s killer to justice, but we need your help.
"If you have any information at all that will assist us with our investigation – no matter how small – please contact us or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously.
“I’d also appeal to anyone who might have dash cam or cycle helmet footage that might have captured the incident to get in touch with us.”
Frasley Coutinho, who lives opposite the scene, earlier said he saw the victim surrounded by a group of young boys.
He said: "I saw a couple of people gathering around him and then he drove past and stopped further up, and then there was a group of young boys around him.”
Mr Coutinho said he caught some of the incident on a CCTV camera but it was obscured by a plant.
“I had a rose plant blocking it so I couldn’t see any more,” he said.
Speaking today, Western Area commander Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson said Thomas had his life “snatched away” in an act of “unprovoked violence”.
“He was a very well known and much-loved member of our community.
Thomas, who posted videos of himself playing the accordion and harmonica, was well-known in the area for busking outside the local Tube station and Tesco store.
Members of the community took to social media to share their fond memories of him, describing him as a "lovely" man who "helped everyone he could".
Speaking today, Western Area commander Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson said Thomas had his life “snatched away” in an act of “unprovoked violence”.
“He was a very well known and much-loved member of our community.
“Detectives have been working tirelessly over the last 20 hours to understand what has happened and to identify who was responsible for this horrific crime.”
He earlier said during a press briefing: “I understand that our community will quite rightly be shocked and appalled by this incident, as I am too.
“We are now able to name the man who has tragically lost his life as Mr Thomas O’Halloran who lived in Greenford and was a very well-known and much-loved member of our community.
“My thoughts very much remain with Mr O’Halloran’s family and friends today.
“I’d also like to appeal for their privacy to be respected while they come to terms with their loss.”
He added: “As of now, the public will see extra officers patrolling the area over the coming days. They are there to protect you and to help you.
“If you have any concerns or information that you want to share, please approach those officers.
“I realise the dreadful impact that incidents like this have on our communities – I would like to reassure you all that we are doing all we can to solve the horrendous crimes that we have seen across London over the last few days.
“I stress that London remains one of the very safest cities in the world.
“However, we do need your help and so please come forward with any information that you have about this awful incident or any other violent crimes."
Witnesses should call police on 101, referencing CAD 4691/16 Aug.
