A TEENAGER shot and killed while he sat helpless in the back seat of a car.

Abdifatah Sheikhey, 19, was sitting in the back seat of a black Mercedes Saloon last Tuesday (March 21) when a white BMW pulled up beside him.

Someone armed with a handgun then got out of the car and shot him in the chest in Woodlands Road, Ilford.

The car Abdi was in then drove towards Bedford Road while the gunman escaped in the BMW.

Police and paramedics were called at 10pm but he was pronounced dead  at 11.22pm after a gunshot wound to the heart.

The three men - two aged 23 and one aged 21 - were arrested in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday, March 28) in east London, and remain in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Jones from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "We urgently need the assistance of the public to find those responsible for this ruthless killing of a young man.

"Abdi's family are inconsolable and your information could help bring to justice those responsible for this heinous crime."

The BMW was found abandoned the next day in Express Drive, Goodmayes.

Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, is asked to call detectives at the incident room on 020 8345 3734 or police on 101, or via Twitter @MetCC.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the crimestoppers-uk.org web site.