Moment gunman opens fire at funeral wake sending mourners ducking for cover in terrifying drive-by shooting
THIS IS the moment a gunman opens fire at a funeral wake sending mourners ducking for cover.
The drive-by shooting happened at a gathering in Birmingham in memory of Akeem Bailey, 17, who was stabbed to death in October 2022.
Mourners had gathered at St Mary’s Church Hall on Hamstead Road, Lozells, on the evening of February 24 last year.
At around 6pm, four shots were fired from a stolen Nissan Qashqai towards a crowd of people before the car sped off.
A man, aged 19, was shot in the chest and another man the same age was hit in the left foot.
An 18-year-old man was hit in the right knee, while a girl, aged 14, was hurt when she was knocked over and trampled as people fled the gunshots.
Meshaq Berryman was identified as the gunman who opened fire from a rear passenger seat of the vehicle.
The next day the car was found abandoned two miles away in Little Francis Grove, Nechells.
After a three week-trial at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this year, Berryman was found guilty of three charges of attempted murder.
Another man was cleared of three attempted murder charges today after a trial which started earlier this month at Birmingham Crown Court.
Berryman had earlier admitted possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and cannabis, after more than 40 wraps of drugs, along with digital scales were found at his home.
He will be sentenced December 6.
Det Insp Francis Nock, from our Major Crime Team, said: “This was a targeted shooting at a gathering of people who had come to pay their respects to a young man who had himself lost his life to violent crime.
“While the young man who died did not have connections to gangs, Berryman believed there would be people linked to gangs at his wake.
“This could easily have been a triple murder investigation and it’s by luck really that people weren’t killed on that evening.
“We put a huge number of officers into the investigation, to ensure we had a really clear picture of what had happened.
“CCTV, mobile phone and forensic evidence placed Berryman in the car at the time that the shots were fired and he is now facing many years behind bars.
“Gun crime causes absolute misery to the families of those who are injured or killed, and can spread fear among residents whose neighbour hoods are impacted.
“Our Major Crime Teams work with local officers to build a clear picture of who is involved in gun crime in an area and take decisive action to get them off the streets and put them behind bars.”
Last year, the number of shootings in the West Midlands fell from 126 to 92.
If you know of someone involved in gun crime, get in touch with us via Live Chat or 101.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.