THE estate where two men were shot dead in a gangland-style execution is known for drug problems.

Lee Wallace, 25, and Jayson Hassan, 28, were standing outside Strang House, on the Cummings Estate, off Britannia Row, Islington, when two men walked up and opened fire at 4.30am on Tuesday.

Police and medics raced to the scene and found both victims suffering from gunshot wounds.

Mr Wallace was pronounced dead at the scene at 5.07am. Mr Hassan was taken to hospital but died yesterday (Wednesday).

Neighbours, who were woken by the sound of gunshots, say the estate suffers from crime problems – with one claiming that the shooting took place near a known drug dealers’ hang-out.

A woman from Britannia Row said: “I thought I heard three shots but other people only heard two and the police said it was five. People thought it was fireworks but then a guy screamed. When I went outside, I saw two people lying on the ground. Then the police came and we were told to go back into our houses.”

A man, 48, from the nearby Popham Estate, added: “There was a loud bang. It could have been a gunshot. I looked out of my window and there were a lot of police there – armed police.”

Detectives have been combing the scene for evidence in an attempt to piece together what happened. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said they were still keeping an “open mind” as to the motive.

One Popham Estate resident believes there is a drug problem near where the shooting took place.

He said: “There is a lot of drug crime over there. There is a playground outside Strang House and that’s where all the drug dealers meet at night. The police need to patrol more often but there aren’t the police to deal with all this.”

But a Cummings Estate resident, a woman in her 30s, was not aware of a serious drug problem in the area. She said: “I know that in the past there have been problems with young people on the estate but I am not aware of what this may have been about.”

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Clayman, of the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command, said: “We appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, or who has any information, to contact us in confidence.”

Anyone with information should call the incident room on 020 8345 3775 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.