A fourth member of the notorious Birmingham gang ‘Armed Response’ has been jailed for the shooting of a 13-year-old boy who was left paralysed. Louis Clarke was part of a group ‘patrolling their territory’ in a stolen Nissan X-Trail near the city’s Hockley Circus roundabout.
A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard they were on the lookout for members of their rivals the ‘Nine Boys’, who they often goaded in drill rap videos. On November 18, 2021 they chased after the 13-year-old victim who had been on his way to a Jamaican restaurant with friends.
The boy was pursued through an underpass and shot in the back. He recalled lying on the floor and could not feel his legs.
READ MORE: Life on gang turf where some fear ‘looking in wrong direction’ after boy shot
Gunman Tafique Thomas, along with accomplices Diago Anderson and Zidann Edwards, were later convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. All three were handed life sentences last year.
Clarke had stayed behind with the Nissan and was identified some time later. Following a separate trial which concluded last month the 19-year-old, of Sheldon Heath Road, Sheldon, was found guilty of the same offences.
Today, Friday, November 24, he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 15 years and four months. Judge Mr Justice Martin Spencer told him: “I am satisfied you are dangerous as defined by statute. That’s established by the facts of the offences themselves and by the fact they were gang motivated.”
The victim attended the hearing in a wheelchair which he has used since being shot in the spinal cord. In an emotional statement he explained he now had to do everything in bed including washing and using the toilet.
He said he could not even go outside alone because of the front step, or get food from the fridge because his wheelchair could not fit through the kitchen doorway. The boy said his school life also ‘completely changed’ with teachers not allowing his friends to push his chair for fear the school would be ‘sued’.
He said: “A lot of kids who were my friends don’t want to talk to me or be my friend now. Some of them don’t want to be around the kid in the wheelchair. Some of them don’t feel safe because I was shot and think I’m dangerous because I was shot. They think the same could happen to them.”
He added: “I always think about what happened. I will never understand why they shot me. I was a normal kid who went with some friends to get food and the next thing I know I’m lying on the ground and can’t feel my legs.”
The boy said he wanted his attackers to know how much they had changed his life, as well as those of his mother and brother. He said he ‘just wanted to know why’ but, even if he did, he would never be able to move on from the incident.
The judge paid tribute to the ‘bravery’ in which the teenager had confronted his injuries. The boy and his two friends got off a bus and crossed the A41 when they passed by the Nissan. Clarke was a rear seat passenger sitting next to Thomas who was holding a home-made firearm called a ‘slam gun’. Edwards was driving while Anderson was the front seat passenger. It was also believed a fifth person was in the car, who was never identified.
The gang pulled up with some of them chasing the 13-year-old through the nearby underpass. He was shot in the back by Thomas after he left the tunnel and ran up a hill.
The group were described as ‘fully fledged’ members of the Armed Response gang, which is also known as AR. Justice Spencer said: “Together you were patrolling your territory, or turf, on the lookout for members of other gangs, in particular the ‘Nine Boys’. Your affirmation to Armed Response was clear from drill raps you performed in videos, some of which were played to the jury.”
He said there had never been a ‘proper explanation’ as to why the victim was shot, adding it could have been a ‘case of mistaken identity’ or an ‘assumption’ he was part of the Nine Boys. Justice Spencer said the gang’s pre-determined reaction to rivals being in their territory was to ‘present and fight’, which resulted in the 13-year-old being shot ‘mercilessly’.
He added: “There was no time for discussion. Discussion wasn’t necessary because all those in the X-Trail knew exactly what was to be done.”
Four days later the gang were back together in the Nissan, which was flagged at a service station by an ANPR camera. When Clarke was arrested police found a shoebox at his home which contained cartridges capable of being fired in the slam gun. An analysis of the firearm, which was recovered elsewhere, revealed it had been shot at least once since it had been fired at the 13-year-old.
Jason Bartfeld KC, defending, told the court that Clarke had since disassociated himself from the people he was previously involved with and had also become a father. He described the teenager as ‘immature’ and the ‘junior member of the team’. Mr Bartfeld said: “This is a young man who displays a high level of victim empathy and through me he seeks to go further. He expresses his remorse and apologies for his involvement.”
The three other gang members were convicted and jailed last year. Thomas, then aged 17, of Musgrove Road, Winson Green, must serve a minimum term of 16 years and eight months. Edwards, then aged 20, of Ford Street, Hockley, was told to serve a minimum of 17 years while Anderson, then aged 20, of no fixed address, was handed a minimum of 18 years and four months.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
