Gunman jailed for 24 years for shooting teenager in Ward End church car park

A gunman has been jailed for 24 years for shooting a teenager as violence flared on a church car park in Birmingham.

Awais Ahmed was himself stabbed with a machete as he opened fire on Antroye Coley, hitting him once in the chest.

West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Unit launched an investigation into the incident, but it was not immediately clear who was involved or where the violence had unfolded.

After more than 1,000 hours of CCTV footage was recovered and viewed, detectives established that Ahmed and Coley had had a chance encounter on Alum Rock Road at around 11.50pm on 26 June last year.

Ahmed, aged 21, quickly left the scene in a Seat Leon, and detectives believe he fetched a gun from a car parked on nearby Clipston Road.

Awais Ahmed of Burney Lane, Ward End, was jailed for 24 years after being found guilty of wounding with intent

Meanwhile, Coley also decided to arm himself, fetching a machete from his home on Blossom Grove, Hodge Hill.

“Coley went looking for Ahmed around the Alum Rock area, before finding him in the Seat on the car park of Christ Church on Burney Lane, Ward End,” police confirmed.

“The car park was a known hang out of Ahmed and his friends.

“Coley and Junior Losinho, who had driven him there, were captured on CCTV getting out of their Citroen, with the glint of a machete visible in Coley’s hands.

“The men are seen creeping up to Ahmed and his friend, Aman Baig, who were sitting in the Leon.”

Aman Baig, 22, of Clipston Road in Alum Rock, was jailed for seven years for possession of a firearm

In the CCTV footage, a flash is seen from the back of the car as Ahmed opens fire with a handgun, hitting Coley in the chest.

Coley stabbed Ahmed with the machete in the melee, before stumbling away and fleeing with Losinho.

The injured men were then driven to Heartlands Hospital by their friends, but as the injured men walked in separately, Ahmed’s friends spotted Coley and so drove him to City Hospital instead.

Reporting restrictions have meant that the details of the case can only be revealed for the first time today.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Awais Ahmed of Burney Lane was jailed for 24 years after being found guilty of wounding with intent, and possession of a firearm with intent.

Baig, aged 22, of Clipston Road, was jailed for seven years for possession of a firearm.

Losinho, 21, and Coley, 19, both of Blossom Grove, Hodge Hill, have admitted wounding Ahmed and will be sentenced at a later date.

Junior Losinho, 21, of Blossom Grove, Hodge Hill, has admitted wounding and will be sentenced at a later date

Det Insp Francis Nock, from the force’s Major Crime Reactive Team, said: “This was appalling violence involving deadly weapons on the streets of Birmingham.

“We don’t know the motivation behind what happened. We believe Ahmed and Coley were previously friends but have fallen out to such a degree that they were willing to inflict serious harm on each other.

“When the men arrived at hospital, neither of them was prepared to say what had happened, so we had to work backwards, starting with CCTV from the hospital, to establish exactly what had happened and where.

Antroye Coley, 19, of Blossom Grove, Hodge Hill, has admitted wounding and will be sentenced at a later date

“CCTV played a crucial role in building strong cases against all of those involved.

“The investigation started with very little information but became much clearer thanks to the recovery of painstaking examination of more than 1,000 hours of footage.

“It meant those involved had no choice but to admit they were present when the violence erupted.”

West Midlands Police additionally emphasised their commitment to tackling gun crime in the region.

Last year, there were 92 shootings across the region, compared to 126 the year, and the number of guns recovered rose from 121 to 152.