Daniel Ross

THE parents of a young man shot dead in a King’s Cross nightclub 14 years ago have pleaded for those with information to come forward and “examine their conscience”.

Daniel Ross, 22, was shot in the head at point-blank range just before 4am at the Scala in Pentonville Road on September 24, 2006.

There were more than 800 people at the packed venue that night and witnesses saw the gunman walk up to Mr Ross on the dance floor before pulling the trigger.

Attempts to save his life were made at the scene but Mr Ross later died in hospital.

Marking the anniversary last week, Daniel’s parents, Jean and Ivan, said: “We know that nothing can bring Daniel back but we can bring those responsible for his death to justice.

“We appeal to anyone in our community and beyond who has information about Daniel’s death to examine their conscience, and come forward and tell us what they know.”

Jean Ross, Daniel’s mother

They added: “To the sad person(s) who took Daniel’s life, do the honourable thing, and give yourself up. As a family we continue to mourn Daniel. He is never far from our minds. We have endured an emotional rollercoaster of anger, grief, pity, despair and disbelief that people around us refuse to share the information they have about our son’s murderer.

“There are no words that could describe the pain we feel for not hav­ing Daniel in our lives.”

Mr Ross’s family, who live in Kilburn and have previously appeared appealing for help on BBC’s Crimewatch, have long suspected his friends and members of the community hold crucial information. However, two years after the killing, police described their investigation as having hit a “wall of silence”.

An inquest into his death, held in 2008, revealed detectives on the case were not sure if Mr Ross was the intended target and believed it could have been a case of mistaken identity because there is no clear motive.

Eight people had been arrested in connection with the murder over the years, but the then investigating officer, Detective Inspector, Pete Holdcroft said they were unable to press charges because of a lack of witnesses, telling the hearing: “There were numerous people in and around Daniel, but unfortunately nobody has come forward to provide an account.”

A £10,000 reward has been offered for information that leads to an arrest

His death was recorded as an unlawful killing, with coroner Dr Andrew Reid concluding: “It appears a third party entered the club and approached the group with whom Mr Ross was standing with and either deliberately or mistakenly fired a fatal shot into Mr Ross’s head. Either he was the intended victim or he was a mistaken target.”

At other times during the investigation, police combed through CCTV on the door of the club and at one stage vowed to identify everybody who had been inside the venue that night. They have offered witnesses full protection if they come forward.

Last week, the Met Police said it was once again attempting to gain information by offering a £10,000 reward.

Detective Inspector Will Reynolds said: “I hope that after 14 years someone may now feel able to come forward and provide information that may lead to identifying those responsible for this callous murder. No detail is too small. It is not too late to do the right thing.

“The Metropolitan Police never closes unsolved murders. We are continually looking for new leads to help charge those responsible for Daniel’s murder and give his family the justice they have been waiting for. We will deal with any information provided to us in the strictest of confidence.”