Three guilty of shooting and paralysing teenage boy in Birmingham
It happened last November
Three men have been found guilty of shooting and paralysing a 13-year-old boy.
Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson, both 20, alongside a 17-year-old – who the law says cannot be named because he is under 18 – were all charged with attempted murder following a six-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
The 17-year-old was also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Yesterday (3 August), they were found guilty of these crimes and will be sentenced on 7 October.
The shooting happened in November last year in the underpass at Hockley Circus, Birmingham. 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.
From the minute officers received the call, Police say no stone was left unturned in their hunt to find his attackers, combining the efforts of officers and staff
from across several departments.
CCTV evidence showed a car travelling along the A41 before stopping abruptly in a service road. Edwards, Anderson and the 17-year-old 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.
The footage showed Edwards, Anderson and the 17-year-old boy running from the scene and driving off. They were later tracked down and police recovered the car they were in and further examinations by forensic experts meant officers were able to link the trio to the car.
After arresting them, Police recovered more evidence including the clothing they wore on the day of the shooting along with several phones, which helped build the case.
Officers also recovered a handgun and a slam gun from an address linked to the 17-year-old and further examination helped to prove this was the weapon used in the incident.