Man jailed for life for his part in underpass shooting that left teenager paralysed

Three young men were jailed in October 2022 for shooting and paralysing a 13-year-old boy in Birmingham.

And today, 19-year-old Louis Clarke, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, has been jailed for life.

Clarke, from Hockley, was jailed for attempted murder and possession of a firearm and will serve a minimum of 15 years.

The shooting happened in November 2021 in the underpass at Hockley Circus. The boy and his friends had been in the city and were on their way to get food when he was attacked.

Despite his injuries, the boy managed to call 999 to tell the ambulance service he’d been injured.

Firearms officers were first on the scene and gave life-saving first aid before paramedics arrived.

CCTV evidence showed a car travelling along the A41 before stopping abruptly in a service road.

The 13-year-old boy and his friends were then chased into the underpass and within seconds a home-made weapon, known as a 'slam gun', was fired, hitting him in the back and leaving him paralysed.

Recovered footage showed the offenders running from the scene and driving off. Officers later tracked down and recovered the car they were in and further examinations by forensic experts linked the trio to the car.

After they were arrested more evidence was uncovered including the clothing they wore on the day of the shooting along with several phones, which helped build the case.

Officers also recovered a handgun and a slam gun from an address linked to one of the gang and further examination helped to prove this was the weapon used in the incident.

At the previous sentencing the mother of the teenage boy, said: “These cowards didn’t even ask my son a simple question, they just ran him down and shot my 13-year-old in his back, like he was nothing.

“But my son is strong, strong like a lion, and no weapon formed against him will ever prosper.”

Detective Inspector Michelle Cordell from the force's criminal investigation department said: "The unprovoked and callous actions of all of these young men has changed the life of an innocent boy forever.

“The events of that evening are simply heart breaking – it did not need to happen and I am deeply saddened by the fear the young boy must have felt before being so seriously injured.

“Gun crime is so damaging, there are never any winners. While no sentence can ever change the tragic events of that day, I hope that it provides some comfort to the boy and his family as they continue to rebuild their lives.

“My team have worked tirelessly with internal and external colleagues and partners to gather and present the evidence in this case. Their collective hard work and dedication led has helped achieve justice for the young boy and his family.

“Our primary focus is always to prevent these incidents from happening, but sadly we do continue to see gun violence on our streets. We need our communities to come together to help us in our fight against gun and gang related crime.”

Information on gun or gang crime can be provided via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For help to get out of gang life, contact gangsline.com.