Man guilty of shooting cousin and injuring brother
It happened at a family gathering
Last updated 13th May 2026
A 29 year old mentally unwell man has been found guilty of shooting his cousin dead at a family wake in west London
Jahmel Joseph killed Jordan Rodney and injured his brother Omar Joseph at a gathering in Hammersmith in June last year
The court heard Joseph claimed that in his psychotic state he feared Mr Rodney and then his family and police would kill him.
On Wednesday, Joseph, from Ealing, was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, having a firearm with intent to endanger life, dangerous driving and possessing a shotgun.
Previously, the Old Bailey heard Mr Rodney, 30, had been arguing with Joseph at the wake, with the defendant complaining he had not been sleeping.
A relative then told the pair to keep the noise down before telling Joseph to go home.
He later got on his Yamaha motorcycle armed with a shotgun and returned to the wake just before midnight.
Mr Rodney was shot at close range in the eye and the defendant’s brother, who survived, turned his head instinctively at the sound and put his hand up to protect his face.
After the shooting, Joseph returned home and drove his Mercedes car to a service station in Buckinghamshire where he bought a coffee.
He went home in the early hours of June 12 and had a “bonfire” in the garden, the court was told.
"I did not do that - I was home sleeping"
Later that morning, Mr Rodney’s mother – Joseph’s aunt – called the defendant and accused him of killing her son.
Joseph denied it and told her: “I did not do that – I was at home sleeping.”
By the time Joseph left his flat again, at around 6.20am, police were looking for him.
ophrenia and was prescribed medication for it.
His case was that he was unwell at the time of the shooting and acted as he did under the “reasonable belief” that he feared Mr Rodney would kill him.
The jury rejected his explanation after deliberating for just nine hours.
Joseph was remanded into custody to be sentenced on a later date.
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