Two jailed for 15 years after shots fired in a Birmingham supermarket

Police received multiple 999 calls to the shop on Stratford Road, Hall Green on the evening of 29 March.

It was reported two men had threatened someone, fired a gun, and damaged a car outside.

Firearms officers were quickly at the scene and thankfully found no-one had been hurt.

On searching a car outside the store, officers found an imitation firearm, and discovered those involved had left the scene in a different car. 

I enquiries began to find them, and a short time later, officers detained two men from a car on Coventry Road.

Abdul Aden, 29, and Abdullahi Hassan, 21, were arrested and taken into custody.

Our investigation found the pair were involved in scam mobile phone sales, and had arranged to meet a man in the shop in Hall Green to sell two phones.

On the evening of 29 March, the victim, in his 20s, met them and asked to see the phones he was supposed to be buying – after which there was a scuffle and blanks were fired from the gun.

£2,000 in cash was then taken from the man.

Following a thorough investigation, Aden, from Brambles Crescent in Shirley, and Hassan, from Churchill Road in Bordesley Green, were charged and subsequently admitted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent.

At Birmingham Crown Court last Tuesday (July 8) they were each jailed for seven years and six months.

PC Joseph Nolan, from the Birmingham Neighbourhood Crime Team said: “Several members of the public, including a small child, were in the store that night – and weren’t to know the imitation gun contained blank rounds.

“Following a thorough investigation, we were able to piece together the details of the Facebook scam and how it led to this incident. 

“We are thankful no one was hurt and remain completely committed to taking firearms off the streets of the West Midlands.”