Age: unknown
Sex: male
Date: 17 Jun 1987
Place: 13 Northwold Road, Stoke Newington, North London
Christopher Comely was murdered in a robbery at his jewellery shop, Jewel Box, on Wednesday 17 June 1987.
He was shot with a Colt 45 as he was preparing to close his shop.
A man was charged with his murder in April 1988 but nothing more is known.
His dog was also shot and killed in the robbery but before it died it had chased one of the robbers into Leabridge Road where it collapsed and died.
There had been two robbers, both black men.
Christopher Comely had lived in Walthamstow in north east London and had started his business about 4-5 years earlier but had been due to give it up in a couple of weeks because of previous robberies. One time he had been opening up his shop someone had snatched his leather bag from him and run off. About a year later someone hit him over the head with a bar, and around 1985 he was subjected to an armed robbery inside his store when a woman was held at gunpoint and threatened. As such, it was decided that he wouldn't renew the lease and prepared to close up when it expired and move out of London.
At the time of his murder he had had a notice painted onto his shop window stating, 'Closing Down Last Few Days'.
After the armed robbery Christopher Comely got an Alsatian dog from the RSPCA as a guard dog.
He left home on the morning of Wednesday 17 June 1987, taking his dog, Sasha, with him, and catching a 38 bus, and arriving at Northwold Road about 9.15am.
After opening his shop he put out his stock in the windows for display, however, it was noted that with only a few days left to go before closing down that he didn't have much stock left.
However, soon after that the two men came in and shot his dog and then Christopher Comely who it was thought struggled with them. Then, after shooting him they grabbed some jewellery and ran out of the shop in opposite directions.
The dog, which was badly wounded, chased after the taller of the two men, but gave up about half a mile away and died from blood loss. It was noted that whilst the dog chased the man right out of the shop towards High Street, that when it was found half a mile away it was in Leabridge Road, indicating that the man might have doubled back in that direction.
The hairdresser from the shop next door, who had heard the shots, then ran into his shop and found Christopher Comely dead on the floor.
The gun was said to have been a .455 revolver, commonly used in the First World War and was described, due to its age, as being quite rare.
The first man, for whom a videofit was made, was described as:
The second man was described as:
Christopher Comely had been married with three children.
