XMAS IN BIRMINGHAM – TWO SHOOTINGS, ONE DEAD

24-12-2007

Two shootings in Birmingham in the space of four days have left one man dead and another in a serious condition.  As we approach the anniversary of the deaths of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare, these incidents are a stark reminder that gun crime remains an ever-present threat on our city streets.

The first flare-up was late on Thursday night close to Handsworth Cemetery, where a man was discovered by police with wounds to his chest and arms following a disturbance.  He’s described as being in a “serious but stable” condition.

That was followed by a fatal shooting yesterday morning outside the King Of The Road pub in Newtown.  Details are scant, but the victim is a 33-year old man.  West Midlands Police would only say last night that no arrests have been made.

There’s no suggestion at the moment of any link between the two shootings, but the fact that they happened within a few a miles of each other over the same weekend is bound to fuel speculation.

If nothing else, the timing of the incidents almost four years after the murder of teenagers Charlene and Letisha at a New Years party in Aston, underlines the failure of the forces of law and order to eliminate gun crime.

There has been a weapons amnesty, and numerous well-meaning initiatives – including a community march against inner city violence in August organised by the Council of Black Led Churches - but so far little evidence that our streets are any safer.

What can we do to solve gun crime?

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