Paul Foster

Paul Foster was shot on Brunel Road in the Lewsey Farm Estate, Luton on the evening of Tuesday 9 April 2013.

He was shot in the chest and driven to Luton and Dunstable Hospital by friends where he later died.

Following the murder, the police said that they were interested in tracing a white Ford Transit-style van that was seen speeding away from the scene in Brunel Road.

Two cars were also found abandoned near the hospital, a silver BMW and a silver Vauxhall Corsa, and taken away for examination.

It was reported that Paul Foster had been injured at another property in another incident a few hours before he was killed.

The police were later called out to reports that shots were heard fired a week later in the Stopsley area of Luton on Tuesday 16 April 2013, but it wasn't known if the shooting was in anyway connected to the murder of Paul Foster or any ongoing criminal feuds.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of his murder in April 2013 but were later released.

It was thought that his murder was part of a criminal feud. It was heard that whilst Paul Foster was not directly involved in crime, many of his close friends and associates were.

The police also said, 'We also know Paul was alive for a period of time after being shot and was taken to hospital by friends or associates. We again believe that during their time with Paul they must have been told exactly what had occurred and been provided with details of who was responsible. We retain an open mind as to whether the offender had gone to that location with the intention of killing Paul. What we do know is that there were a number of people in and around the address at the time Paul was murdered, who must have seen the incident. I want people who saw what happened, heard Paul talk of what had occurred or have heard details of what happened from those responsible to come forward. I make no bones about it, we need people to stand up and be counted. We need people to have the courage and leadership to do the right thing.'

It was noted that several people who were probably aware of what had happened weren’t saying anything because of a no snitching culture in the area and that some individuals were deliberately choosing to hinder the police in their investigation.

Paul Foster was the uncle of Delaney Brown who was murdered by Kyle Beckford in September 2012. Kyle Beckford had deliberately run Paul Foster down with a stolen car. At the time of Paul Foster's murder, Kyle Beckford was due to go on trial at Luton Crown Court.

Paul Foster was a cleaner and a driver and had three children. He was known as Big Shyne. It was noted that he came from Harlesden where he had been a well-known figure in Brent before moving to Luton in 2003 when he became a born-again Christian. He attended the Word of Faith International Christian Centre UK and was described as a regular worshipper.

His shooting took place during a period of high gun crime in the Luton area between January and May 2013 with 27 shootings reported across the year and 184 arrests for drug-related gun crime being made. The police raided over 100 homes, seizing dozens of weapons and charged 19 people with firearms offences and 35 people with other offences. Following the rise in gun crime, the police started high impact patrols by uniformed officers around the area, including armed patrols.