Tanesha Melbourne (pictured) died after she was shot in the street in Tottenham last night

Chilling CCTV footage shows a 17-year-old walking with her friends an hour before she was gunned down in a deadly postcode war which has gripped the capital.

Tanesha Melbourne had left her home in Tottenham, north London, before a car pulled up and fired a bullet into her chest at 9.35pm last night.

The teenager, who had just become a mentor at her local youth club, died in the street as she was cradled by her mother who arrived before paramedics.

She became the 48th person to be murdered in London this year and footage from a local shop shows her walking with her friends around 60 minutes before she was shot dead.

According to terrified residents, the innocent teenager was caught in the crossfire of a deadly postcode war.

One friend said: 'Tanesha was just an innocent child caught up in this stupid postcode war.'

Another friend who desperately tried to save her added: 'She did not deserve that and her mum did not deserve to watch her daughter die.'

Her death was said to be linked to an online feud with a rival gang from the Wood Green area and came just 24 hours after a fight in a central London diner.

On Easter Sunday, footage of a brawl in Tinseltown in Farringdon was posted on social media and showed three men punching a young black male. Those who shared it said the Tottenham shooting was a 'revenge attack'.

In a separate incident, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the face less than two miles away in Walthamstow, east London.

He died at 5.45pm and became the 49th person to be killed in the capital. A 15-year-old boy was also stabbed.

The 17-year-old (pictured in the grey) was seen on camera walking with her friends before she was shot dead

The innocent teenager was reportedly caught in the crossfire of a gang war and Scotland Yard told MailOnline her killer was still on the loose

Tanesha's mother Sharon Melbourne and her little sister arrived to lay flowers at the scene

The streets of London are now more deadly than New York, with the capital recording a higher murder rate for the first time in modern history in February.

So far this year, the Metropolitan Police has launched 52 murder investigations - 12 in January, 15 in February, 19 in March and six in April.

MP David Lammy has claimed the surge in violent crime in the capital is being fuelled by 'vast' quantities of cocaine being fought over by drug barons.

The teenager's aunt today said how she told police about escalating gang problems three months ago and warned them: 'if anything happens to a member of my family, I'll become a problem'.

Rita How, 56, made the prophetic warning at a neighbourhood watch meeting at Tottenham College earlier this year.

She told police officers present of the worsening drugs and gangs problem in the area which had led to a rise in stabbings and shootings.

Ms How, a school cook, also revealed the fears she had for her family living in the area.

She said: 'I met with the police three months ago at the last neighbourhood watch meeting and told them what was going on with the gangs and the violence.

'I said to them 'if anything happens to a member of my family then I'll become a problem'.

'Well my niece is gone now and they are not going to hear the end of me. Someone's got to sort out the mess here, it's getting out of hand.

'Tanesha was a lovely girl, she wasn't involved in gangs. She was innocent in all this.'

Ms How, who also works in security at nearby Tottenham Hotspur football club, said her niece had worked at the old White Hart Lane ground.

She added: 'She worked in the catering department on a few occasions.

'She had a bright future, she was a good girl who didn't deserve this.'

Floral tributes were left on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, north London, today

Friends and family arrived to pay respects at the scene of the killing, London's 48th this year

Mourners hugged each other at the scene where Tanesha was gunned down in north London

Friends and family leave flowers at the scene where Tanesha was shot

A forensic tent is in place at the scene of the fatal shooting in Chalgrove Road, Tottenham

Grief-stricken friends and family have been at the scene to pay tribute to the youngster today

Tottenham MP Mr Lammy told the Evening Standard: 'Most of these killings are being fuelled by a huge spike in the movement of drugs, particularly cocaine.

'As we see in parts of downtown America, young men - particularly in communities like mine - become foot soldiers for gangsters and McMafia bosses much further up the tree.'

Deadly crime epidemic grips the Capital So far this year, the Metropolitan Police has launched 52 murder investigations - 12 in January, 15 in February, 19 in March and six in April. This is the equivalent of three a week - up from two a week last year. But Official figures show that 2017 was the worst year for knife deaths among young people since at least 2002. Forty-six people aged 25 or under were stabbed to death in London, up by 21 compared with the previous year, according to police figures. Figures published in January showed police recorded 37,443 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year ending September 2017 - the highest tally since comparable records started in the 12 months to March 2011. Gun-related crime also went up by a fifth year-on-year, to 6,694 recorded offences. Advertisement

Tanesha was a regular at the Bruce Grove Youth Centre In Tottenham where she taught youngsters how to be good role models.

A friend told MailOnline: 'Tanesha was very popular at the club, she'd been going for the last four years.

'One of her roles was to teach the younger kids how to be good role models and how to lead positive lives.

'She got on with everyone and in turn everybody liked her, that's why she became a volunteer.

'We are devastated that Tanesha has been taken from us like this.'

Grandmother Kathleen Kingdom said: 'She was a family-orientated girl who would never get caught up in trouble.

'She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

'She was a good girl and didn't deserve this.'

Associate headteacher Goldwater Ojokor from Gladesmore Community school, where Tanesha left last year, said: 'She was a lovely, joyful, girl. She was bright and bubbly, she was only a baby really.

'She always had a smile on her face. You could not be annoyed with her, she just had this wonderful smile and was never in any bad trouble.

'She was always so positive to be around, you couldn't not warm to her. She had a soft warm nature and she was funny.'

A young mother, who asked not to be named, said: 'There's a lot of shootings and stabbings that go on. It's a dangerous area.

'There is a postcode war, apparently, between Tottenham and Wood Green and some of these incidents are tit-for-tat.'

Police said the 17-year-old died at the scene shortly before 10.45pm last night and teams are now combing the area for clues

A young mother said: 'There's a lot of shootings and stabbings that go on. It's a dangerous area'

There was a heavy police presence in Tottenham, north London, this morning where 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne died after she was shot on Monday evening

Social media has been flooded with tributes to the teenager, with many saying she was caught in a needless gang war

School friend Candice Hassan, 17, said she found out about the murder on Snapchat just half an hour after the shooting.

'It was shocking. Everyone's upset obviously - one minute I see her and the next minute I don't,' she said.

'One hour before her death, I saw her on Snapchat - one hour before she got shot. Everyone knows Tanesha, she's just a humble girl.

'It was just the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't deserve any of that. I have heard it was a drive-by shooting - obviously gang-related - Wood Green and Tottenham.'

Tyesha Mingo was with Tanesha in her final moments. The 21-year-old said: 'I tried to save her, she was a good girl, no trouble.

'She was in her house before it happened and she had gone out and was just literally chilling with her friends. I heard some shooting and I thought it was fireworks.

'My boyfriend's mum called the ambulance, I did not realise she had been shot until the ambulance came.

'Apparently the car just pulled up and then started shooting from the window.

'Her mum came before the paramedics, she was screaming and shouting. Her whole family was here.'

Tanesha was a regular at the Bruce Grove Youth Centre In Tottenham (pictured) where she taught youngsters how to be good role models

Police and Forensic investigators have been at the crime scene in north London throughout the day

The murder scene is less than 100 metres away from another shooting four months ago, believed to have involved a teenage boy shooting at members of another gang who had earlier beaten him up.

Another friend said: 'Tanesha was a very known, very lovable little girl in the community, she was not involved in any sort of problems with anyone.'

The past two months of bloodshed in London have overtaken New York's murder rate, official police figures show, as Scotland Yard battles a 38 per cent surge in killings since 2014, with 50 deaths recorded already this year.

Fifteen people were killed in London in February, compared to 14 in New York.

London also has almost three times the number of reported rapes, but until February this year the murder rate in New York remained higher.

New York and London: A tale of two violent cities London and New York both have a population of about 8 million and an annual police budget of around £3 billion. New York – which has 40,000 police officers to London's 32,000 – was renowned for violence with more than 2,000 killings a year in the early 1990s, but the NYPD introduced a zero tolerance approach to low-level crime and flooded problem areas with patrols. And the streets of London are now more deadly than New York, with the capital recording a higher murder rate for the first time in modern history in February. The total number of London murders, even excluding victims of terrorism, has risen by 38 per cent since 2014. In contrast, the number of murders in New York have fallen by 87 per cent since its 1990s peak. The past two months of bloodshed in London have overtaken New York's murder rate, official police figures show, as Scotland Yard battles a 38 per cent surge in killings since 2014. Fifteen people were killed in London in February, compared to 14 in New York, where urban violence has long been prevalent. The surge in killings comes as rates of rape, robbery, and violent offences in London have already eclipsed those in New York. Advertisement

The murder scene is less than 100 metres away from another shooting four months ago

North London rapper Wretch 32 - real name Jermaine Scott Sinclair - who was raised in Tottenham, said he was 'lost for words' following the shooting

Terrified residents have called upon the London Mayor and the Met Police to take action. Pictured, forensic teams on the scene in Tottenham

North London rapper Wretch 32 - real name Jermaine Scott Sinclair - who was raised in Tottenham, said he was 'lost for words' following the shooting.

He tweeted: 'Wish I knew what to say about what's happening in my ends. North London were better than this man smh R.I.P to the young angel who lost her life last night.

MET POLICE CHIEF SLAMS ONLINE ABUSE In recent days, Scotland Yard commissioner Cressida Dick has said gangs were using online platforms to glorify street violence and show off 'with weapons'. Miss Dick also raised concerns about the violent undercurrent in some music, especially grime. She warned that it could lead vulnerable youngsters to think it was 'an admirable thing to be talking about violence and people perpetrating it'. Miss Dick, who has been in the role for 12 months, said she was 'no luddite' and that the internet was 'wonderfully positive in almost every way'. But she added that 'incredibly abusive' language online can 'rev people up'. She told The Times: 'There's definitely something about the impact of social media … people being able to go from slightly angry with each other to 'fight' very quickly … gangs can posture on social media and talk about who they are and what they've achieved. 'It may not be unlawful but it is glamorising it for people, showing off with weapons.' She said that insults or threats online 'makes [violence] faster, it makes it harder for people to cool down. I'm sure it does rev people up'.' Advertisement

'Love & prayers to the family. I'm honestly lost for words.'

TV and radio presenter Snoochie Shy said that communities need to 'actually start mentoring young people'.

A friend of Tanesha's brother added: 'This is the third shooting in the last few months. One happened right outside my house.

'Tanesha was a nice girl, they were a good family.'

Sharon Lindsay, 54, added: 'The violence around here is getting worse and the shootings and stabbings need to stop.

'It's got to the point where people are too scared to go out, particularly at night, because they don't know what's going to happen.

'When you do go out you're always looking over your shoulder, making sure you're aware of what's going on.

'Most of the people around here are lovely, it's not nice for them to live like this.'

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Wood, head of Scotland Yard's murder squad, said: 'It was a terrible attack in which this young lady has lost her life.

'I'd like to appeal to anybody who was in the vicinity to contact the incident room or Crimestoppers who can assist the investigation.

'At this stage we're keeping a completely open mind, it's too early to say what the motive is or indeed if it's just a case of wrong place, wrong time.

'We do know that a vehicle drove past a group of young people, shots were fired from the vehicle and sadly the young lady lost her life.'

Police are also combing the scene in Walthamstow for clues after two teenagers were taken to hospital

The scene where a 16-year-old boy was shot on Monday evening in Walthamstow, east London

GOVERNMENT AND THE MAYOR OF LONDON ARE URGED TO TAKE ACTION The latest incidents will bring fresh scrutiny on the Government's efforts to halt rising levels of violent crime around the country. In the coming weeks the Home Office will publish a serious violence strategy, which it says will place a 'new emphasis' on steering young people away from crime. Proposed measures include a 'two strikes' regime, meaning criminals caught with corrosive substances twice will automatically face a prison sentence of at least six months, and a tightening of rules covering online sales of knives. The recent spate of violence has prompted scrutiny of a sharp reduction in stop and search activity, with use of the powers at the lowest level since current data records started 17 years ago. Stop and search has repeatedly attracted controversy, with criticism focusing mainly on the number of stops of black and minority ethnic individuals. Reforms were introduced in 2014 by then-home secretary Theresa May to ensure the tactic was used in a more targeted way. Terrified residents are now putting pressure on the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to take action. On Sunday the Mayor blamed Tory cuts on affecting front line policing. He tweeted: ''It's time for the Government to stop misleading the public and properly fund our police.' But social media users, including Pier Morgan, have called on him to do more. The Good Morning Britain host tweeted: 'This is happening on YOUR watch, Mr Mayor @SadiqKhan - what are you going to do about it?' A spokesman for the Mayor said today: 'The Mayor is deeply concerned by violent crime in the capital - every life lost to violent crime is a tragedy. 'Our city remains one of the safest in the world ... but Sadiq wants it to be even safer and is working hard to bring an end to this violent scourge.' Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said today: 'There can be no place in our society for violent crime. The government is determined to do everything it can to break the cycle.' Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on knife crime, told the BBC's Today programme that London could learn from New York in how to reduce violent crime. Advertisement

As paramedics tried to resuscitate the teenager in Tottenham, officers were called to the second incident.

A 16-year-old, named locally as Amaan Shakoor, was shot in the face in Walthamstow by 'rival drug dealers', a friend claims.

A relative of the shooting victim who is also a serving police officer said the family were too upset to speak publicly about the incident.

He said: 'We are praying for him now and I don't think talking to the media will help right now.'

Damian Slay, 17, from east London, said rival drug dealers shot the youngster after warning him not to sell cocaine in St James area of the borough earlier in the day.

Speaking at the crime scene, Damian said he was standing round a corner from where the victims were attacked.

He said: 'They must have run up to them, stabbed one in the arm and faced the other one and just shot him in the face and run off.

'I wasn't startled because I've seen all of this before, I was just helping the other guy, the one who got stabbed because there was nothing I could do for the one who got shot.

'The stabbing victim suffered minor injuries, he got stabbed in the arm a couple of times, twice, but he was alright, it was more shock because he saw his friend get shot in the face.

'It's like turf wars.

'The youngsters that are here decide to sell cocaine and crack but there's a lot of people that do the same thing and certain areas are controlled by certain groups and if you sell in an area that you shouldn't have been the people get upset.

'I don't think any of it should have happened but it was drug related that's all I can say and it was definitely a set up.

'They are just little hoodrats, it's harsh but it is what it is.'

A Met statement said: 'The 15-year-old was treated for stab injuries which are no longer life changing. He has now been released from hospital.

'The 16-year-old boy died in hospital at 5.45pm on Tuesday, 3 April. His next of kin were present at hospital when he passed away.

'The Homicide and Major Crime Command are now investigating alongside colleagues from the Trident and Area Crime Command. No arrests have been made.'

Acting detective chief inspector Glenn Butler, from the Trident and Area Crime Command, said: 'I fully appreciate the alarm, shock and revulsion caused by this murder and other fatal shootings we have seen across London over the last few months.

'We are doing everything we can to identify the culprits and bring them to justice. We can't do this alone.

'We need those within the community who have information about those involved to search their own conscience and call us with information.'

Sadly, the violence does not appear to be showing any signs of slowing down in April.

On April 1, a photograph exclusively obtained by the Mail showed the chilling moment a hooded youth clutching an 8in knife fled after a boy of 16 was stabbed in a takeaway.

As paramedics tried to resuscitate the teenager in Tottenham, officers were called to the second incident in east London

A 16-year-old, named locally as Oman Shakore, is fighting for his life after he was shot in the face in Walthamstow by 'rival drug dealers', a friend claims

The brutal attack lasted just 30 seconds when seven masked thugs went into the fast-food shop to stab the teenager at the counter before sprinting away.

The boy was left with blood pouring from his chest as Easter Sunday shoppers ran to help.

As the alleged attacker ran alongside the busy A12 road in Bow, East London, the large knife was clearly visible in CCTV from a nearby shop.

This is the chilling moment a hooded youth clutching an 8in knife fled after a boy of 16 was stabbed in a takeaway in Bow, London

Detectives have arrested four men in connection with the stabbing but three others, including the suspected knifeman, remained at large last night. Police believe the attack was gang-related.

Shortly before the daylight attack a mother with two young children and a baby in a pram had been buying food in the shop.

A witness said: 'I saw seven teenagers wearing hoods running away very fast. I went to the shop and I saw the boy being helped by someone on a chair. He was holding his chest near his heart.

'The police came first and the ambulance came just after.'

The boy, who was in a critical but stable condition in an East London hospital last night, was chatting with friends outside the chicken shop just after 6pm.

Seconds later, the masked group of youths could be seen on the CCTV walking purposefully towards their target.