A teenager shot dead in South London had dedicated himself to helping other young people to escape violent street gang culture.

Nathan Foster, 18, is the 17th teenager to be murdered in London this year. Friends said that he worked for the X-it project in Brixton and was an enthusiastic member of the Ebony Horse Club, which organises riding lessons for inner-city youths.

He died in hospital on Friday night following an argument over a piece of jewellery, in which Mr Foster was not directly involved. A teenager produced a revolver and opened fire on a group of youths close to Brixton Tube station. He escaped on a motorcycle.

Officers from Operation Trident, which deals with gun crime in the black community, are investigating.

A fellow youth worker, writing on a tribute website, said: “Nathan was a well-known, loved and respected member of the community. He was shot in a moment of rage over something he had nothing to do with.”

About the same time that Mr Foster was attacked, another teenager was shot outside a snooker club in Glasgow. Andrew Devlin, from the Pollok area, died in hospital. A 26-year-old man was seriously injured. On Saturday night, a 17-year-old youth was stabbed in a park in Burton-upon Trent, Staffordshire. He was in a critical condition. A boy of 16 was arrested.

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