Teen gang member named for first time after gun attack left boy, 13, paralysed

Tafique Thomas has been recognized for the primary time after he shot and paralysed a 13-year-old boy (Image: SWNS)

A teenage gang member who shot and paralysed a 13-year-old has been named for the primary time.

Tafique Thomas, 17, gunned the schoolboy down in an underpass at Hockley Circus, Birmingham, alongside fellow gang members Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson, each 20.

The assault left the sufferer paraplegic after one of many pellets handed by his spinal twine.

Thomas, who may be recognized after the standard anonymity afforded to minors was lifted, was jailed for 16 years and eight months for tried homicide and possession of a firearm.

Mr Justice Hilliard at Birmingham Crown Courtroom agreed that Thomas must be named as ‘the gang context of the crime is of public concern’.

Zidann Edwards and Diago Anderson have been sentenced to 17 and 18 years in jail respectively for tried homicide.

All three denied the fees however have been discovered responsible in August.

The sufferer was on his solution to get meals with buddies after they strayed on to the ‘turf’ of a gang referred to as Armed Response.

Tafique Thomas has been named for the primary time after a decide agreed the severity of his crime was a ‘public conern’ (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)

The trio have been captured on CCTV working from the scene and driving off, the barrel of a gun seen (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)

Mr Michael Duck KC, prosecuting, defined ‘the sufferer was within the incorrect place on the incorrect time’ and was ‘the goal of a most ruthless act of violence’.

They chased the boy and his buddies into the underpass earlier than blasting him within the again with the ‘slam gun’, which is a selfmade weapon.

The 13-year-old sufferer referred to as 999 himself, regardless of his critical accidents.

Diago Anderson has been jailed for 18 years (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)

The selfmade handgun recovered by officers. It was used to fireplace a pellet into the sufferer’s backbone (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)

Zidann Edwards made a rap music video saying how a lot he regretted not killing the 13-year-old sufferer (Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)

He mentioned: ‘As soon as I noticed blood on my palms I realised one thing had occurred I used to be terrified and thought I used to be going to die.

‘I felt abandoned and petrified. I needed to name the ambulance myself.’

After the taking pictures, Edwards even made a drill rap music video expressing his remorse that he had did not kill the younger boy.

In passing sentence, the decide mentioned each Anderson and Edwards had promoted and celebrated gang violence of their music and went on: ‘This was lawlessness of an excessive order and terrifying diploma.’

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