Kevin Pokuta: Woman arrested as hunt to find Sheffield gunman who killed father-of-two continues

Police are pleading with witnesses to come forward, one month on from a Sheffield shooting which caused the death of a teenager, leaving his family heartbroken.

Kevin Pokuta, a father of two children aged just seven-months and two-years-old, was shot on Page Hall Road, Page Hall in the early hours of Tuesday, December 12, 2023. He sadly died in hospital the following day.

As a 23-year-old woman from the Chapeltown area of the city under suspicion for assisting an offender becomes the ninth person to be arrested in the murder probe, a senior police officer is renewing South Yorkshire Police's appeal for witnesses.

Speaking today (Friday, January 12, 2024), DCI Joanne Kemp said: "This devastating incident has resulted in the loss of a much-loved young man. Kevin was just 19 years-old, and his death has left a baby and a toddler without a father, and a young woman without her partner.

"Today I am asking anyone with information that might be able to assist with our investigation to come forward. The intelligence you provide will help us take violent criminals off the streets and put them behind bars.

"Our officers will be conducting extras patrols in the area today and throughout the night. They are there for you and we encourage anyone with concerns to stop and speak to them.

"There is no place for gun crime within our communities and we will continue to work relentlessly until we have answers for Kevin’s loved ones. If you carry a gun, you can be assured we will hunt you down and ensure you face the consequences of your horrific actions which put local people in danger.”

The 23-year-old woman, who was arrested yesterday (Thursday, January 11, 2024), has now been released on bail.

Six men aged 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 41 have previously been arrested on suspicion of murder. Two women aged 38 and 20 have previously been arrested for assisting an offender. They have all be released on police bail while enquiries continue.

Anyone with information can contact the force by calling 101 and quoting incident number 19 of December 12, 2023.

In addition, you can pass information directly to the incident room via the Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) at:  https://mipp.police.uk/operation/14SY23K13-PO1

Alternatively, there is an option for anyone who is not comfortable talking to the police directly.

Crimestoppers is an independent charity – you can contact them anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

The police will never know who passed on the information.