Teenagers who killed 16-year-old boy in brutal attack guilty of manslaughter

Football-loving Sekou Doucoure was cornered in the Lozells area of the city last July by 18-year-old Pierre Thomas, a 16-year-old who cannot be named and a 31-year-old man, who has yet to be arrested.

Sekou was riding an electric scooter with a friend on an electric bike along Villa Street when they were confronted by Thomas who pointed a gun at them and fired. After a 20-minute chase Sekou, who was also carrying a knife, was caught on a petrol station forecourt and knifed to death.

Armed police officers had responded to the shots fired in Villa Street and were already searching the area when they were flagged down by members of the public. They raced to the garage forecourt and immediately started CPR, but sadly Sekou could not be saved.

A meticulous investigation began, involving viewing hours of CCTV to plot the movements of the suspects.

Warrants were conducted at the homes of Thomas and the 16-year-old, and the CCTV helped to plot their movements on the day Sekou was killed.

Thomas and the 16-year-old who cannot be named due to his age, were found guilty of manslaughter and possession of an imitation firearm.

Detective Inspector Laura Harrison, from the West Midlands Police homicide unit, sad: “Sadly Sekou has become another statistic of too many young boys killed as a result of gang affiliation.

“It’s heartbreaking to see young lives to be cut short in such a brutal way.

“I cannot begin to imagine the grief his family still feel and I hope the convictions today give them some comfort.

“But we will not rest until we have found others who we know were involved in Sekou’s death and I appeal to anyone with any information to come forward.”

Sekou’s family said in a statement: “Sekou was a 16-year-old boy who loved his family and loved football. He gave a different perspective on life and inspired people around him to be the best they can be and to follow whatever religion they wanted.

“He was quite talented in many regards when it came to his academics and especially when it came to sports and football. Despite his shortcomings everybody that was close to him can vouch for the fact that he would help anyone that was around him despite the severity of the problem and the extent to which it could affect him negatively. Words cannot truly express what kind of person he was.

“He was a good boy and son who would do anything for anyone. He is sorely missed by all the family particularly his sisters, brother and Mom.”

The police are still trying to find the whereabouts of a 31-year-old man who we believe was involved in Sekou’s murder. Independent charity Crimestoppers are offering a reward of £10,000 for information that leads to the arrest of Ishmael Farquharson.