Kenichi Phillips murder: Black Country man joins killer behind bars after teenager's death

Dean Silvera and Disharn Downie were jailed for a combined 28-and-a-half years after Kenichi Phillips was killed in Birmingham earlier this year.

Downie, 18, was part of a group that opened fire at a Seat Ibiza in the Ladywood area of Birmingham while Mr Phillips and two other men sat in the car on the evening of March 17.

One of the bullets hit Mr Phillips in the jaw and neck.

All three quickly ran away from the car after escaping through the driver's door but Mr Phillips soon collapsed in a nearby alleyway.

After watching the shooting unfold, passers-by tried to revive him, but they and paramedics could not save the teenager and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives immediately started following up leads and witnesses began to tell of how they saw a car speeding away from the scene straight after the gunfire.

That vehicle was identified as a Mazda 2 and enquiries led officers to an address in the Gravel Bank area of Bartley Green - the home of Downie.

Further CCTV footage from the address and surrounding area showed the teenager leaving the property in the car and heading to the murder scene on St Marks Crescent 20 minutes before the shooting.

Downie was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday after last month being found guilty of murder, attempted murder and attempted grievous bodily harm in relation to the two men who survived.

The killer, of Gravel Bank, Birmingham was also sentenced to 10 years for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and five years for a robbery which took place a few weeks before the murder.

His 37-year-old co-accused Silvera, of St Giles Close, Rowley Regis, was cleared of murder but was found guilty of assisting an offender and was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years behind bars.

Detective Inspector Jim Munro, who led the investigation, said: "Disharn Downie a showed complete disregard for human life when he fired those shots into that car and it's only through luck alone that others weren't seriously hurt as a result of his actions.

"I'm glad that the jury were able to see that this was nothing short of a calculated and pre-meditated murder by Downie.

"My thoughts are now with Kenichi Phillips' family who I hope find some comfort in today's convictions."

DI Munro also sought to reassure the community of the West Midlands Police's on-going commitment to tackling gun crime.

He added: "We have teams which are dedicated to dealing with gun and gang crime and have made some significant arrests and seizures of firearms and ammunition over the last few months.

"Recent court cases have shown that gun criminals can expect to spend many, many years behind bars - police and the courts simply won't tolerate the use or possession of illegal firearms."