Gunman who blasted man with shotgun in Walsall barber's jailed for more than 25 years
A gunman who blasted a man with a shotgun in a barber shop in broad daylight has been jailed for 25 and a half years.
Tehmoor Hussain was having his hair cut at Katz Kutz in Walsall when two men burst in and demanded money they said he owed for a car.
When he refused, Uzair Shahid returned to his BMW to retrieve a shotgun and fired into Mr Hussain's stomach from close range.
The 24-year-old victim was left fighting for his life and was airlifted to hospital for emergency surgery following the shocking attack in May 2019.
Shooter Shahid, 21, of Lichfield Road, Walsall, was sentenced to 25 and a half years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday after being found guilty of attempted murder at trial.
His accomplice Toyub Ali, 19, of Profit Street, Walsall, must serve five and a half years in a young offenders institution for possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. He will be on licence for another three years once his sentence has ended.
The court heard how the confrontation surrounded a collision between two cars some time earlier. Detectives believe Mr Hussain was a passenger in a car which hit another vehicle in which Ali was a passenger.
That led to the pair hunting down Mr Hussain and eventually tracking him to the barber shop on Wolverhampton Road where he was almost killed.
Judge Simon Ward said Mr Hussain did not owe the men any money and when he refused "to co-operate" inside the barber's he was punched by Shahid, who then went to fetch the shotgun.
A terrifying ordeal followed for the victim, who held the door closed to try and keep the gunman out. He pleaded with him not to shoot before Shahid fired at him at close range through the glass.
Through a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Hussain told how his life had effectively ended the day he was shot and that he had become a "ghost".
"Even though I survived being shot that day, in reality I died and became a ghost. I can't do anything for myself anymore," he said.
MORE FROM THE TRIAL
Judge Ward said: "He didn't owe them any money. On the evidence, he had been in a car as a passenger which had been in a minor collision with a car in which Mr Ali was a passenger.
"A demand was made. He punched him when he didn't co-operate Mr Shahid went to his BMW in which he arrived, opened the back door and pulled out a loaded shotgun.
"He went back to the barber shop. Mr Hussain was pleading with him not to shoot. He pointed right at his belly, with just glass between them, and fired the shotgun causing terrible wounds to Mr Hussain."
The pair fled the scene and the BMW was later found burnt out. Detectives trawled CCTV and were able to place the two men in it.
Both men were on bail at the time and Shahid's electronic tag stored information on where he was, giving police key evidence of his movements. Judge Ward commended officers for the thoroughness of their investigation.
The pair's defence barristers argued their young ages at the time should be taken into account, while Ali was said to have shown signs he was "growing up and starting to get his life on track".
Judge Ward decided against a life sentence for Shahid but said his punishment needed to be severe to reflect the seriousness of the crime.
