Brave shooting victim and public key to convicting Walsall barber shop gunman
Detectives have praised a brave shooting victim and members of the public for coming forward and helping them to convict a violent gunman.
Tehmoor Hussain, 24, was left fighting for his life after being blasted with a shotgun in broad daylight in Katz Kutz barber's in Walsall.
Shooter Uzair Shahid, 21, was jailed for 25 and a half years on Thursday, while his accomplice Toyub Ali, 19, must serve five and a half years in a young offenders institution.
Detective Constable Craig Bathgate, who led the investigation, called the attack a "calculated, brutal and mindless act of violence".
Police were commended for the thoroughness of their investigation by sentencing Judge Simon Ward. Officers trawled through hours of CCTV in order to prove the two men were responsible for the attack in May 2019.
Detectives recovered CCTV of the car driving around the Birchills area around 30 minutes before the shooting as well as footage from around two hours earlier at a car wash on Wednesbury Road, where the pair were believed to have planned the attack.
DC Craig Bathgate said: “It was a calculated, brutal and mindless act of violence which has left the victim with long lasting physical and emotional damage.
“This crime shocked the local community, who we know had been living in fear of their behaviour for a long time. The pair were part of a gang and it’s thought they’d been involved in other previous acts of violence.
“The information we got from the community was invaluable and has ultimately helped us secure this conviction. I’d particularly like to commend the bravery and resilience of the victim and his family for their assistance throughout.
“We know it’s often really scary to come forward and give us information, however we rely on this and will always act upon it. There are ways we can help you provide this information confidentially, and Crimestoppers can also assist - you tell them what you know - not who you are.
“I hope these convictions are a good example of what we can do when we work together to eradicate serious violence by robustly dealing with those causing it, and putting them through the criminal justice system so they can pay for what they did."
