Teenagers jailed for shooting and paralysing 13-year-old in Birmingham
The boy was shot in the underpass at Hockley Circus.
Three teenagers who were convicted of shooting and paralysing a 13-year-old boy in Birmingham have been jailed today (14 October).
Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson, both aged 20, alongside Tafique Thomas, aged 17, were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Zidann Edwards was given 17 years for attempted murder. Diago Anderson received 18 years for attempted murder. Tafique Thomas was handed 16 years and eight months for attempted murder and possession of a firearm.
The shooting happened in November last year in the underpass at Hockley Circus. The boy and his friends had been in the city and were on their way to get food when he was attacked.
Despite his injuries, the boy managed to call 999 to tell the ambulance service he’d been injured. Firearms officers were first on the scene and gave life-saving first aid before paramedics arrived.
Police found CCTV evidence which showed a car travelling along the A41 before stopping abruptly in a service road. The three got out.
The 13-year-old boy and his friends were then chased into the underpass and within seconds a home-made shotgun, known as a slam gun, was fired, shooting him in the back and leaving him paralysed.
Police later tracked down and recovered the car they were in and further examinations by forensic experts meant they were able to link the trio to the car.
Following today’s sentences the mother of the teenage boy said: “These cowards didn’t even ask my son a simple question, they just ran him down and shot my 13-year-old in his back, like he was nothing.
“But my son is strong, strong like a lion and no weapon formed against him will ever prosper.”
Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell, from our Force CID, said: “The unprovoked and callous actions these three young men has changed the life of an innocent boy forever.
“The events of that evening are simply heart breaking – it did not need to happen and I am deeply saddened by the fear the young boy must have felt before being so seriously injured.
“Gun crime is so damaging, there are never any winners. I hope the outcome today sends a really clear message to anyone engaging in gang or gun crime. It’s a serious offence for which you will be punished.
“While no sentence can ever change the tragic events of that day, I hope that it provides some comfort to the boy and his family as they continue to rebuild their lives."