Carl Campbell murder: Pub landlady rushed to save victim dying in West Bromwich street

A pub landlady desperately tried to save the life of a man who was shot while sat in a car, a jury heard.

Three men are on trial for the alleged murder of Carl Campbell, pictured

Carl Campbell, aged 33, was killed in the daylight drive-by shooting outside The Strollers pub in West Bromwich town centre.

Landlady Katherine Picken told how she saw the shooting from the window of the pub before rushing out to help the victim, who was bleeding heavily.

Mr Campbell, from Low Hill, Wolverhampton, was sat in the passenger seat of a Ford Fiesta when it was ambushed by a gunman in a Audi Q5 at traffic lights on Dartmouth Street.

Alleged shooter Mohammed Humza, 20, Vikesh Chauhan, 24, who was said to have been driving the Audi, and Jaspal Rai, 25, also alleged to have been in the car, all of no fixed address, deny murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The Ford Fiesta that Mr Campbell was shot dead in on Dartmouth Street

Ms Picken told Birmingham Crown Court how she saw a gun emerge from the car window before the shooting, at around 2.30pm on December 27 last year.

She said: “I saw the silver object come out of the window with a glove. I thought it was a gun straight away.

“I just saw some sparks and heard noises like fireworks. It just happened so quick.”

Ms Picken then explained how she tried to help the dying victim. She said: “I saw the flashes of light and ran down. I told my daughter to call an ambulance, somebody has been shot, and ran out to the car.

“I opened to car door and checked for a pulse but couldn’t find one.”

Police outside The Strollers pub, from where landlady Katherine Picken rushed to Mr Campbell's aid

She said she started chest compressions but got no response from Mr Campbell.

Mr Michael Burrows QC, prosecuting, asked her: “The man shot didn’t make any noise at all?” She replied: “No.”

A statement from Afra Khan, who was working opposite the pub, was read to the court. She had known Mr Campbell growing up.

She said: “There were quite a few people around him. As I approached him I could see blood coming from his head.

“I recognised him straight away as Carl Campbell. We grew up together in West Bromwich. I knew him a while back but he moved to Wolverhampton.”

The .44 Smith and Wesson revolver used in the killing was produced in court by forensic scientist Andre Horne and shown to the jury.

Humza has admitted firing the gun but claims he did not know the weapon was real, but Mr Horne said: “With blanks, there is no impact. With a real firearm, you point it at the target and you would see the effect of a bullet striking the car windscreen.”

The trial continues.