CCTV has been released of the moments after a teenage gang member shot a 13-year-old boy in the spine with a homemade ‘slam gun’ – as the teen was jailed for life for attempted murder.
Louis Clarke, 19, was found guilty of attempting to kill the schoolboy who had ‘strayed on to his turf’ in Birmingham.
The victim and his friends were on their way to get food when he was attacked in an underpass at Hockley Circus on November 18, 2021.
A court heard the teen was blasted with the homemade shotgun by Clarke, who was 17 at the time, 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.
CCTV has been released of the moments after a teenage gang member shot a 13-year-old boy in the spine with a homemade ‘slam gun’ (circled)
Louis Clarke, 19, was found guilty of attempting to kill the schoolboy who had ‘strayed on to his turf’ in Birmingham
Zidann Edwards (left), Diago Anderson (right), both 20, and 17-year-old gunman Tafique Thomas (centre) were jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court in October last year
The boy, who was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’, is now paraplegic because one of the pellets passed through his spinal cord.
Zidann Edwards, Diago Anderson, both 20, and 17-year-old gunman Tafique Thomas – who also shot the boy – were jailed for life at Birmingham Crown Court in October last year.
Today Clarke, of Yardley, Birmingham, was also caged 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 can be considered for release.
Sentencing, the judge said of the young victim: ‘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 if 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.’
A court heard the victim was blasted with a homemade ‘slam gun’ shotgun (pictured) by Clarke, who was 17 at the time, because he crossed into the territory of a notorious gang called Armed Response
A handgun also recovered by officers at the scene after the boy was shot
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 rivals who claim the territory on the east side have an allegiance to the colour blue.
The mother of the teenage victim said in a statement: ‘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.’
After the case, Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell, of West Midlands Police, said: ‘The unprovoked and callous actions of all of these young men has changed the life of an innocent boy forever.
‘The events of that evening are simply heartbreaking – 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. 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.
‘My team have worked tirelessly with internal and external colleagues and partners to gather and present the evidence in this case.
‘Their collective hard work and dedication has helped achieve justice for the young boy 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.’
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 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… [fearing] 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.’
Two members of the group were arrested days later by armed officers
The gang running from the scene and driving off in their getaway vehicle
The court heard the victim managed to call 999 despite his injuries to tell the ambulance service he had been shot.
Meanwhile, the attackers ran back to their Nissan and drove off at speed before arriving at a ‘predestined location’.
Firearms officers provided life-saving first aid to their victim before paramedics arrived and the youngster was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
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 cannot 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 Bartfeld KC, defending, said of Clarke: ‘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.