This is the face of a man who shot victim at point-blank range with shotgun in Dudley carpark
This is the face of a man who shot another man with a shotgun in a Dudley car park.
Lee Haughton, aged 34, from West Green, Penn, was found guilty of attempted murder at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, October 10, after an incident where another man was shot with a shotgun at point-blank range on Merryfield Road, Dudley.
Police were first alerted to the incident after the victim, a man in his 20s, was presented at the hospital with a gunshot wound at around 1.45am on April 6.
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An investigation was launched by West Midlands Police, where officers worked around the clock to piece together CCTV evidence from across the area.
The footage revealed the shooting and showed Haughton running away to get back into his car before driving off from the car park.
He was later arrested on Great Hampton Street on April 14 after armed officers spotted him driving around in Wolverhampton.
Searching the vehicle, the officers discovered a viable and shortened loaded shotgun inside the boot of the car, with 11 shells also found alongside it.
It was later discovered that the gun had been stolen during a burglary in West Mercia in 2023.
It was also found that Haughton had been tracking his victim and had even placed GPS trackers into his car by using cable ties to tie it to the metal framework under his vehicle.
He was charged with attempted murder, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and possession of a firearm.
Appearing before a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court on October 10, he was found guilty of attempted murder.
He had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm.
Haughton was remanded into custody and is due to appear before Wolverhampton Crown Court for sentencing, with a date to be fixed by the court.
Detective Inspector Francis Nock, who has led the case, said: “This was a targeted attack by Haughton, which could have resulted in his victim’s death.
“It’s by sheer luck the victim didn’t receive any more serious injuries.
“We’ve been working incredibly hard to investigate this incident from the start, with teams from across the force working together to piece together what happened and uncover just how in-depth Haughton’s research into his victim was.
“Firearms have no place on our streets or in our communities, and we’ll always work tirelessly to bring criminals who think it’s acceptable to use these weapons, cause harm to others, and cause fear in our communities, to justice.”
