Brierley Hill stabbings: Murder suspect arrested as alleged teenage robber charged
A man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder after two people were stabbed to death in Brierley Hill last week.
The man, aged 46, was arrested at a property in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday alongside a 42-year-old man who is suspected of assisting an offender and has since been released on police bail.
The murder suspect is being questioned by detectives today over the deaths of Khuzaimah Douglas and Waseem Ramzan who were both stabbed following a robbery at a cannabis factory last Thursday.
Meanwhile police have brought charges against the first man arrested over the incident in Pensnett Road.
Micah Evans, 19 and of Drummond Street in Lye, was the only suspect arrested on the day of the murders.
He appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court this morning charged with conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to burgle and perverting the course of justice. He was remanded in custody to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on March 23.
Evans, the only suspect to be charged so far, was also arrested on suspicion of murder last week but he has not been charged with this offence.
Meanwhile two men arrested at Holyhead ferry port in Anglesey, Wales, on Saturday, have been released on bail. The suspects, aged 23 and 21, are both suspected of conspiracy to rob.
It means five people have been arrested over the incident so far.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro, from the West Midlands Police Homicide Unit, said: “Although this is a significant development in our investigation I am still appealing for witnesses or anyone who was in the Pensnett Road area in the early hours of Thursday morning to get in touch.
“People may have witnessed the disorder, individuals or vehicles leaving the scene, or seen something suspicious. We need them to get in touch as every piece of information, no matter how small, could be crucial.
“I’d also like to hear from any motorists who were in the area at the time and have dashcam footage as they also may have recorded something important."
Murdered
Khuzaimah Douglas, 19 and from Moseley in Birmingham, was pronounced dead at the scene in Pensnett Road while 36-year-old Waseem Ramzan, who lived in Pensnett Road, died in hospital.
Mr Douglas was described as "a kind, considerate, extremely talented and humble young man who everyone had a connection with" in a tribute from Tyseley kickboxing gym USKA Fight Factory.
Interactive map shows murder scene:
Both men were stabbed during violence which broke out when seven men raided a house where cannabis was being grown and were confronted by people inside at around 3.30am.
Pensnett Road was cordoned off until Saturday as officers, forensic teams and collision investigators combed the area around Pensnett Road, Wilson Road and Hickman Road.
The windows of the house containing the cannabis farm were smashed during the violence, while a car appeared to have driven over grassland next to Brockmoor Community Centre before crashing into a fence on Wilson Road.
Dudley Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Sally Bourner, said: “These are significant developments in this fast-moving investigation. Local officers continue to provide reassurance in the area.
"Longer term we are working with partners including the council, health, education and charities to tackle violent crime and the root causes of violence."
Anyone with information is urged to contact police via the website, by calling 101 or by contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
