A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered in an effort to find the killer of a father-of-three who was shot dead in London.
Leroy Mitchell was killed in a car park in south Croydon on Saturday, 2 October after he had just left a silent disco in a flat on Birdhurst Road.
And independent charity Crimestoppers is offering the cash reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to a conviction in connection to his death.
Father-of-three Leroy Mitchell was murdered in South #Croydon on Sat 2 October. Our charity is offering a #reward of up to £20,000 for anonymous information. Read his mother’s heart-rending open letter here: https://t.co/P4LEOFcsBB and please tell us what you know. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/G7cOGAdpvD
In an open letter to those responsible for the 35-year-old’s death, his mother urged anyone with information to come forward.
The letter describes him as a “central part” of the family, who loved spending time with his siblings, cousins and friends and had been planning a family gathering in the weeks before his death.
“Leroy Martin Mitchell was born in 1986 in Croydon to his mother Maura and father Ronald,” his mother says.
Leroy was a cheeky child, and we loved him for it. Even as he grew older, he was always sporting a cheeky grin and trying to play tricks on me – which I would always end up laughing with him about.”
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The letter details how Mr Mitchell fell in love with fiancee Louise, who he had been with for 17 years after meeting in 2004.
He leaves behind “three sweet children who we call his ‘mini-mes’,” the letter says.
More recently, the 35-year-old had become interested in fishing and spent with friends at Norwood Lakes, “talking deep into the night, sharing stories and, occasionally, catching a fish or two”.
“On Monday last week, I held a funeral for the man I describe in this letter – my own son,” his mother adds.
“I cannot believe that this Christmas and every Christmas after this, my family will be without one of their most valued members, and my grandchildren will be without their father.”
Following Mitchell’s death, a 25-year-old man was arrested and released on bail to return to a south London police station.