3 face jail for shooting and paralysing boy with a handmade gun in Birmingham city centre

Three gang members who tried to kill a boy aged just 13 by shooting him with a homemade gun are facing jail after being convicted of attempted murder.

Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson, both 20, and a 17-year-old, who cannot be named, left the schoolboy paralysed as a result of the shooting.

The victim and his friends were on their way to get food when he was attacked in the underpass at Hockley Circus, Birmingham, on November 18 last year.

A court heard the teen was only gunned down because he had strayed on to the "turf" of a Birmingham gang called Armed Response.

After the shooting Edwards even made a drill rap music video expressing his regret that he had failed to kill the young boy.

Despite his injuries, the victim managed to call 999 to tell the ambulance service he had been shot.

Firearms officers gave life-saving first aid before paramedics arrived and the youngster was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.

What happened in the lead up to the boy being shot in Birmingham city centre?

CCTV showed a stolen Nissan screeching up alongside the teenage victim before Edwards, Anderson and the 17-year-old got out of the car.

The 13-year-old boy and his friends were then chased into the underpass before the lad was blasted in the back with a home-made shotgun, known as a slam gun

The footage showed the trio running from the scene and driving off and the car was later recovered by officers and forensically linked to the suspects.

Officers arrested them and recovered more evidence, including the clothing they wore on the day of the shooting along with several phones.

Police 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 attack.

What happened at court?

The court heard the boy has been left paraplegic as a result of one of the pellets passing through his spinal cord.

All three were convicted of attempted murder at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (August 3) and will face lengthy jail terms when they are sentenced on October 7.

The 17-year-old was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon.

What has West Midlands Police said about the attempted murder?

Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell, from West Midlands Police Force CID, said: “The unprovoked and callous actions of Zidann Edwards, Diago Anderson and the 17-year-old boy, changed the life of an innocent 13-year-old boy and his family forever.

“The impact of their actions are truly heart breaking and my thoughts remain with the boy, his family and friends.

“From the outset, my team worked tirelessly with internal and external colleagues and partners to gather and present the evidence in this case. Their collective hard work and dedication led has helped achieve justice for the victim and his family.

“Our primary focus is always to prevent these incidents from happening, but sadly we do continue to see gun violence on our streets. We need our communities to come together to help us in our fight against gun and gang related crime.”

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