14 December 2023 , 20:03
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Chilling footage shows the moment two children were shot outside a playground after being caught in the crossfire of a gangland drive-by.
An 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were left injured by stray bullets following the horror shooting near a children's play area in Wolverhampton. The youngsters were rushed to hospital in a stable condition and both made full recoveries - although their families have been left 'shattered', police say.
Today three men were found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated vehicle taking following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court. The court heard the children were left with gunshot wounds after being hit by bullets fired from a stolen Ford Focus towards a stolen Mini Cooper.
Kian Durnin, 22, Martinho De Sousa, 24, and Tireq McIntosh, 23 (West Midlands Police)The daylight attack on Shelley Road, Bushbury, is believed to have been the result of a violent ongoing feud between rival gangs in the city. The girl who was playing in the park was hit in the leg while the boy was on a bike in the neighbouring car park and was hit just below the knee. Meanwhile, the Focus sped away and was chased by the stolen Mini Cooper.
One of the chasers fired a shot at the Focus, blowing out its rear windscreen, but the three men managed to escape. An investigation established Kian Durnin, 22, had been driving the car with Tireq McIntosh, 23, in the front passenger seat. Both men had fired guns, while Martinho De Sousa, 24, was a back-seat passenger. In interview, Durnin and McIntosh denied any involvement while De Sousa made no comment.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
The arrest of Mcintosh (West Midlands Police / SWNS)The trio, all from Wolverhampton, will be sentenced on December 20. Detective Inspector Francis Nock, from West Midlands Police's Major Crime Team, said: “At least six shots were fired and it’s by sheer luck that these two children weren’t more seriously injured or killed. Thankfully, they have both made recoveries from their physical wounds. But this has left their families shattered.
“We may never know who the intended targets were, or why the shooting happened, but we believe it involved tensions between gangs in the Wolverhampton area, and may be connected to illegal drugs.
CCTV shows the moment bullets were sprayed during a drive-by shooting (West Midlands Police)"Our recently created Major Crime Team had the resources and expertise to put a huge amount of officers into this investigation, reviewing more than 2,000 hours of CCTV and exploring countless lines of enquiry.
“This was a cowardly attack by men who had no hesitation in firing deadly guns next to a children’s playground.” The weapons used in the attack have never been found.