Teenage Armed Response gang member Louis Clarke jailed for life for trying to murder boy, 13, in Birmingham

A 13 year-old boy has been left paralysed after he was shot in the spine with a homemade ‘slam gun’ in Birmingham.

It was Louis Clarke is one of four jailed for pulling the trigger on the weapon as the victim and his friends went to get food, walking through an underpass at Hockley Circus on November 18, 2021. 

The 19 year-old has been jailed for life for attempting to kill the schoolboy who had "strayed onto his turf".

A court heard the teen was blasted with the homemade shotgun because he crossed into the territory of a notorious gang called Armed Response.

CCTV shows the gang screeching up alongside the teenage victim in a stolen Nissan and fleeing the scene following the shooting.

The boy, who was "in the wrong place at the wrong time", has since been left paraplegic as a result of one of the pellets passing through his spinal cord.

Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson, both 20, and 17-year-old gunman Tafique Thomas were previously jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court last October.

Today (Friday, November 24) Clarke, of Yardley, was also placed behind bars for life after being found guilty of attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Mr Justice Martin Spencer ordered he must serve a minimum of 15 years and four months behind bars before he could be considered for release.

Sentencing, the judge said: "He was shot in the back by Thomas and immediately fell to the ground having lost the use of the legs.

"His life will never be the same again. He will remain paralysed and unable to care for himself and always dependent on others."

Mr Justice Spencer said Clarke was a "fully fledged" member of the Armed Response gang and no explanation had been given for the motive of the attack.

He added Armed Response may have believed that the victim was a member of a rival gang who had strayed into enemy territory.

He said: "Perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity. Whatever the reason the reaction of those in the Nissan was immediate, pursuing the victim and shooting him mercilessly. There was no time for discussion. You were party to the shooting of a child with catastrophic consequences."

Where do the Armed Response gang claim as their 'territory' in Birmingham?

The court heard the attack took place on the West side of the A34 which is seen as the territory of Armed Response.

The gang have an allegiance to the colour red while the East side is perceived to be the territory of another gang who have an allegiance to the colour blue.

Michael Duck KC, prosecuting, said: "It is a terrifying that such a world exists but it is a plain fact that in some people's minds that if you stray into what is perceived to be their territory then you are in genuine peril."

Describing the attack, Mr Duck continued: "At 7pm on November 18, 2021 the victim ran away from the group who plainly feared for his life. And rightly so because his pursuers were in possession of at least one, if not two, firearms they sought to discharge at him from close range with the intention of ending his life.

"It was only a matter of chance they failed to do so. It was discharged at him from close range and the consequences for him were devastating.

"There was no time or room for debate. When they got there, they simply shot him. That is a demonstration that this was targeted."

The court heard the victim managed to call 999 despite his injuries to tell the ambulance service he had been shot. Firearms officers provided life-saving first aid before paramedics arrived and the youngster was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.

Meanwhile, the attackers then ran back to the Nissan and drove off at speed before arriving at a "predestined location."

Mr Duck said CCTV captured the defendants appearing to be "almost indifferent" to what had happened. In a statement, the victim said "I was just a normal kid out with my friends going out to get some food.

"The next thing I know I can not move my legs. I still do not know why this has happened to me. I just want to know why. I always think about that night and what I could have done differently."

Jason Batrfeld KC, defending, said "He just wishes he could go back and rather than remain in the car, run away. He accepts he did not."

He said Clarke was a "junior member of the team" and it was 18 months before he was arrested and during that time he became a father and was building a family life.