Owner tells of club shooting

The owner of a Black Country nightclub and his brother have relived, in court, the moment they were gunned down outside the venue.

A jury was shown CCTV of a gunman opening fire on Derek Chambers outside the Tropical Harmony nightclub in Bilston. He told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday: "I saw somebody taking something out and I said: 'What are you going to do? Shoot me?'

"I went after him but by the time I had raised my arm, the shot had been fired. I saw the person fire the gun but I would not recognise him again. I felt pain in my neck. The second time I put my hand to the spot I saw blood.

"I said 'you know, you've shot me?' and started to go after him but he ran off. Then there was more shooting. I heard three shots but they say there were more."

Mr Chambers' 6ft 4ins tall brother Howard needed seven-and-a-half hours of surgery after bullets shattered bones in his left ankle and arm in the incident.

He told the court: "The first shot hit my ankle and it felt like my foot was dropping off. The second hit my arm. I did not see where the shots came from. A friend took me to hospital and I was operated on.

"The injuries still affect me. I have trouble walking, wearing shoes, every day life things."

Trouble flared at the club in the early hours of September 29 last year when a crowd tried to get in without paying or being searched, said David Mason told the jury.

Dwayne Hare is alleged to have pointed a gun at Howard Chambers but he insisted that he only had a mobile phone in his hand.

Mr Mason said another man, Jordan McDonald, also played a key role in trying to get in to the club.

Neither man is alleged to have been either of the two gunmen that opened fire on the night.

McDonald, 18, from Oldacre Drive, Handsworth and Hare, 21, of Whitehouse Drive, Smethwick, both deny six charges including possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing a prohibited firearm and violent disorder.

The trial continues.