Posted on 01/03/2003 11:18:50 AM PST by mountaineer
AN EXCHANGE of gunfire at a new year party that killed two teenage girls and left two others in hospital was sparked by a dispute between criminals, described by police last night as “quite extraordinary in their brutality”.
The gunfight erupted during the early hours of yesterday outside a Jamaican hairdresser’s shop in inner-city Birmingham, where black youngsters had gathered to celebrate the arrival of 2003.
A group of young women who felt too hot inside the shop went outside for a breath of air. They were standing by the back entrance when they were caught in the crossfire as dozens of bullets were fired from at least two guns, one of which may have been an automatic weapon.
Police and paramedics arrived within minutes but were unable to save the two local victims, friends aged 18 and 17. The elder girl’s twin and another 17-year-old were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds. One underwent surgery yesterday afternoon.
The names of the dead and injured girls were not released by the police because some of their relatives had not been informed, but there were scenes of anguish as family and friends arrived at Birmingham’s City Hospital.
The city was already suffering from a rise in violent drug and gun-related crime. The West Midlands Police pledged to increase patrols in the area and to put more armed police on the streets of Birmingham.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
"Some members of the community give the impression that they know the gangs and individuals responsible for the shooting. Many believe that the girls were innocents caught in the crossfire between two rival gangs, the Johnson Crew and the Burger Bar Boys, who operate in parts of north Birmingham, including Aston, Winson Green and Handsworth.
"They are believed to control the crack cocaine trade in these areas. In a press conference today the police said that this scenario was one of the leads it was investigating.
"Even if they did know the gang members responsible, the likelihood of witnesses coming forward and telling the police names is remote. The Afro-Caribbean community of Birmingham is small; perhaps 40,000 out of a city of 1.5 million people. Everyone knows everyone and, given the ruthlessness of the gang, it would take a brave person to step forward and go to the police with information, no matter how much the police say they will protect witnesses.
Full story here, from the Times.
See also Gun crime soars as thugs seek 'respect', in which it is acknowledged that "The ban on handweapons above .22 calibre, which was introduced in 1997 after the Dunblane primary school shootings, forced many legitimate owners to surrender their guns but did nothing to stop underworld supplies."
They're learning this the hard way, but they will never, never go back. Once gone these rights are gone for good.
Go here for the chronology of England's gun prohibitions.
I am sorry but this is not possible!
The Liberals Banned Guns in the UK so there must be some mistake!
Check your facts please and resubmit your story...
If you do indeed find that someone was shot I am sure it was an illegal gun smuggled in from the Evil USA...
Until ALL guns are banned we will have these problems... please contact the UN for further instructions...
(/sarcasm)
I think they just created a vacuum that only criminals can fill and now they're blaming their self-inflicted problem on anybody who hasn't yet created their own defenseless citizenry.
Dr. Dalrymple is on the spot, apparently a prison doctor. The amount and viciousness of the crime he describes (and ascribes to decades of liberalism's excess) is simply unbelievable, especially when set against the background of the conditions that existed when he was in training as a doctor.
(National Review, Dec. 31, 2002, pp.25-26.)
Ahhh. The New York City defense.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.