Gunman guilty of attempted murder after drive-by shooting at wake in Birmingham
Family and friends were mourning a victim of knife-crime when they were shot at
A gunman has been found guilty of attempted murder at a wake in Birmingham.
Mourners were attending a wake for a seventeen-year-old who had been victim of knife crime when they were shot at.
Four shots were fired leaving four injured, including a fourteen-year-old girl.
A man aged 19 was shot in the chest and another man the same age was hit in the left foot.
An 18-year-old man was hit in the right knee, while a girl aged 14 was hurt when she was knocked over and trampled as people fled the gunshots.
The drive-by shooting happened at around 6pm on February 23rd 2023.
Mourners had gathered at St Mary’s Church Hall on Hamstead Road, Lozells, in memory of Akeem Bailey, 17, who was stabbed to death in October, 2022.
Meshaq Berryman was identified as the gunman who opened fire from a rear passenger seat of the vehicle.
Another man was cleared of three attempted murder charges today after a trial which started earlier this month at Birmingham Crown Court.
Berryman was found guilty of three charges of attempted murder after a three-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
He had earlier admitted possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and cannabis, after more than 40 wraps of drugs, along with digital scales were found at his home.
Detective Inspector Francis Nock, from West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team, said: “This was a targeted shooting at a gathering of people who had come to pay their respects to a young man who had himself lost his life to violent crime.
“While the young man who died did not have connections to gangs, Berryman believed there would be people linked to gangs at his wake.
“This could easily have been a triple murder investigation and it’s by luck really that people weren’t killed on that evening.
“We put a huge number of officers into the investigation, to ensure we had a really clear picture of what had happened.
"CCTV, mobile phone and forensic evidence placed Berryman in the car at the time that the shots were fired and he is now facing many years behind bars.
“Gun crime causes absolute misery to the families of those who are injured or killed, and can spread fear among residents whose neighbour hoods are impacted.
"Our Major Crime Teams work with local officers to build a clear picture of who is involved in gun crime in an area and take decisive action to get them off the streets and put them behind bars," said Nock.
Berryman is due to be sentenced on December 6th 2024.