Street shooting witness is cousin of man involved in Walsall Market murder case
A man who was injured during a shooting in a Walsall street told the jury he was the cousin of a man involved in the killing of Bailey Atkinson two years ago.
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Bradley Sladyszyn was sitting in the passenger seat inside Connor Brookes' van in Well Lane, in Blakenall, Walsall, at 5pm on July 8 last year, when it was fired on from a Ford Focus which had pulled up along side. Mr Brookes, of Hunter Crescent, Harden, was struck in the head by a bullet and died at the scene.
Mr Sladyszyn suffered a wound to his left shoulder during the incident when he was struck by bullet fragments and recovered following treatment.
Giving evidence in the witness box at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday, Mr Sladyszyn said: "I blacked out for a few seconds. I was down on the floor of the van. The next thing I remember was hearing the wheel spinning."
He told the court that when he came to he noticed that his "mate" Mr Brookes was gone.
"He was still in the drivers' seat. He was slumped forward."
"Everything was hectic in the street. People were running up and down," he said.
He told the court that he saw three people who were "wearing balaclavas" in the car. He described one as being big in size and at the wheel and he described the others as being "scrawny" in appearance.
"The back passenger window came down. The gun came out of the back window,."
Mr Sladyszyn told the court that he was in shock and could not remember all of what he told detectives while he was being treated in hospital.
It was put him that Mr Brooke's brother Patrick Brookes and another man called Benjamin Wilkes were known to have been involved in the killing of Bailey Atkinson in the old Walsall market in January 2023. Mr Sladyszyn was asked if he was related to Wilkes.
The witness replied that he was his cousin.
Julian Falconer, and Byron Sellick, both aged 20, Jake Sanbrook, aged 23, and are standing trial for the murder of Mr Brookes and the attempted murder of Mr Sladyszyn.
Falconer, of Wyrley Close, New Invention, Willenhall; Sanbrook, of Fisher Road, Mossley, Bloxwich and Sellick, of no fixed abode, are also accused of with possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life.
Samuel Danks-Petty, 20, of Buildwas Close also in Mossley is accused of intent to pervert the course of justice.
All four deny the allegations. The trial continues.
