Three men have been convicted for their roles in a shooting in a Birmingham park where a boy was left with life-changing injuries. The incident occurred near the junction of Mary Street and George Street in Balsall Heath on Saturday, August 2 last year.
How the Trouble Erupted
Weapons were brandished outside Amex Wines at around 8.30pm. A 15-year-old boy had not been involved in the fight but had been seen talking to Elyas Kaid, who was involved in the dispute with Lamar Anderson and Jeheim Wilson. Anderson and Wilson parked up in Lapworth Grove, and Anderson contacted an acquaintance, Kaine Dowe. Anderson and Wilson changed clothes and with Dowe, went in search of Kaid. When they could not find him, they spotted the boy on his bike at around 10pm in George Street Park instead.
The Shooting
He was ambushed and shot in the back by Anderson, who was riding on the back of an electric bike. The boy sustained serious and life-changing injuries, including broken bones in his spine, a wound to his lung, and a bullet still lodged in his body.
Investigation and Capture
West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Unit reviewed CCTV, phone records, and social media posts, leading to the arrest of Anderson and Wilson in August. Anderson had shaved his head and booked a taxi using another person's phone to avoid capture. A police spokesperson said: “While the gun was never recovered, we were able to identify Anderson returning to the park area and searching in bushes the day after the shooting. Following further enquiries we detained Dowe in October. He had even uploaded social media videos of the disorder which Wilson had responded to.”
Sentencing
Anderson, Wilson, and Dowe admitted their roles, pleading guilty at Birmingham Crown Court in February. They were sentenced on May 1. Gunman Anderson, 22, of Heeley Road, Selly Oak, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and causing grievous bodily harm. He was jailed for 16 years, with a further three years on licence. Wilson, 25, of Lapworth Grove, Balsall Heath, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years. Dowe, of Belvedere Road, Erdington, also admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and was jailed for six years. Kaid, 23, of Ferncliffe Road, Harborne, involved in the earlier trouble, pleaded guilty to affray and was sentenced to 10 months in jail on February 11.
Detective Inspector Francis Nock from the major crime unit said: “The boy was not involved in the earlier disorder and was just riding his bike through the park. It is extremely fortunate he was not killed at the hands of these men, although he will have to live with what happened that night for the rest of his life. These men have now quite rightly lost their freedom and it shows the consequences of being armed, and using a weapon.”
