Karkas, 31, and Taban, 30. Pic: Met Police

Two gang members involved in the shooting of a shopkeeper in Stoke Newington last year have been jailed.

Gang members Caner Karakas, 31, and Kubilay Taban, 30, were arrested the month after the incident. Both were sentenced last Wednesday at the Old Bailey.

The unarmed 35 year old shopkeeper was shot in the hand trying to intervene as rival Turkish gang members confronted each other outside Akdeniz Supermarket in Stroke Newington High Street last September.

Karakas was found guilty of possession of a firearm and was sentenced to serve eight years imprisonment.

He also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to a consecutive two and a half years in prison.

Taban pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. He was not found guilty of possessing a firearm.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Bruce of Trident said: “This attack was carried out by dangerous, violent gang members who had set out armed with a loaded firearm, determined to endanger the lives of other Londoners.”

“More than 1,000 London gang members are now either locked up or subject to legal restrictions as a result of activity by the Met’s Trident Gang Crime Command.”

“Tackling gang-related violence remains a key priority for the Met and we will continue to target and convict those who choose to carry weapons and cause harm in London’s communities.”

Police believe that the man who shot the victim fled to Turkey shortly after the incident, and to this day remains free.