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Police investigating the murder of a Barnsbury man last month have run into a wall of silence in their hunt for the gunman, a leading Met detective has revealed.

David Robinson, 25, also known as Dawood, was shot numerous times, including in the head, in what police have described as a “cold-blooded” attack at a music studio in Sunnyside Road, Archway, on August 20.

Four weeks into the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, who is leading a 25-strong murder squad, has said the inquiry has been marred by a reluctance among key witnesses to come forward.

Just one arrest – of a 29-year-old man – has been made so far. The man was arrested on suspicion of murder but later bailed to a date in early November.

Quizzed by the Tribune about the progress of the investigation this week, DCI Whellams said: “We need witnesses. The thing is people who are there don’t always tell us what they’ve seen. There’s always a reluctance around certain communities to speak to police, but we will keep going.” Police believe an altercation that began inside the relatively unknown Big House 101 music studio just before 9pm resulted in the father-of-one being shot at point-blank range with a revolver, the exact make of which has yet to be established.

It is thought a group of people were in the studio and directly outside at the time.

DCI Whellams added: “There are a lot of people who have come forward but there are others who have not done so, for whatever reason. My message to witnesses is: ‘Have courage, come forward and you can speak to us in confidence.’

“The investigation is progressing but it’s taking time. I’m always hopeful we will get somewhere.”

It is thought that on the night he was killed Mr Robinson had gone to the studio to meet someone. It remains unclear whether the shooting was the result of an argument that got out of hand or the tragic consequence of a long-standing grudge between victim and killer.

Scotland Yard said it is pursuing “all lines of inquiry in terms of a motive” for the shooting.

Mr Robinson, who lived with his mother and brother in Barnsbury, was a former pupil of Islington Arts and Media School.