Two men jailed after shooting at each other outside Birmingham nightclub
A closure order was placed on FJ Lounge following the incident.
Two men have been jailed after shooting at each other and injuring a member of the public outside a Birmingham nightclub.
Police were called to the scene outside FJ Lounge, on Bickford Road, in Aston, at around 6am on March 23.
Aaron Nubie and Kimani Durrell-Smith were quickly identified as suspects, and around half an hour after the incident, Nubie arrived at hospital with a gunshot wound – initially telling West Midlands Police officers he couldn’t remember how it happened.
Nubie was arrested, while Durrell-Smith made attempts to evade capture but was later arrested following a firearms warrant at an address in West Bromwich.
He’d also been injured but again wouldn’t tell officers or healthcare professionals how it happened.
A CCTV investigation showed them both firing guns outside the venue.
It was later uncovered that the shooting was linked to a disagreement inside the club earlier on in the evening.
Nubie left the club but later came back armed with a gun and fired at Durrell-Smith as the latter left the venue.
Durrell-Smith, who was already armed, then fired several shots back at Nubie.
An innocent bystander, who’d been working at a food stall outside the club, was caught in the crossfire. Thankfully, his injuries were not life-changing.
Nubie, 46, of Marsh Close, Erdington, and Durrell-Smith, 27, of Victoria Road, Stockland Green, were both charged, and following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, were found guilty last October of wounding with intent.
They’d previously admitted possession of a firearm.
On Thursday (October 22), they were sentenced to 18 years each in prison.
Following the shooting, a closure order was also granted for FJ Lounge.
Detective Sergeant Phil Hinton, from our Major Crime Team, said: “Both men made a decision to arm themselves, and then to fire at each other at close range – which could have cost them their lives, and the lives of others.
“The fact that a member of the public was injured because of their dispute shows how selfish and reckless their actions were.
“We don’t tolerate guns on the streets of the West Midlands, and we are working hard to identify and bring to justice those involved in gun crime.
“Thanks to a thorough investigation from our committed team, Nubie and Durrell-Smith are rightly now behind bars.”