Police launch investigation after shots fired in Holbrooks street

Residents now fear for their children's safety after reporting this as the second gun related incident



People living in a street in Holbrooks say they are concerned for their safety after a gunman shot at a car.

The incident, in Lauderdale Avenue, Holbrooks, took place at 1.30am on Wednesday.

When residents woke up they could see one car with bullet holes.

According to people in the street it’s the second time a gun has been fired nearby in the space of a few weeks.

One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Shots were fired at some house a few weeks ago.

“Police believed it was a shotgun. The front window and the front door were smashed.

“The car that was shot at is still there.

“People can’t move their vehicles because of forensics.”

The resident said that the neighbourhood is usually peaceful, but some people said they were concerned to let their children play in the streets after the recent developments.

They said: “The area was a nice area. It’s bringing the area down. It was a nice quiet area. It’s just not safe.

“We can’t leave the kids to play out.

“I think the public need to be made aware. Residents need to be made aware to keep their kids safe.

“After the first time we thought what if it happens again - and it has.

“Quite a few people I’ve spoken to think it’s a joke. The person needs to be caught.

“Innocent people could get caught up in the cross fire.”

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said that they had launched an investigation into the incident.

She said: “Gunshot damage was found to a car which was parked and unattended in the street. No was injured.”

Det Sgt Joel Mildinhall from Force CID, said: “Investigations are on-going into the incident, and officers have been carrying out forensic and house to house enquiries at the scene.

“I would appeal for anyone who saw what happened or anyone with information to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers confidentially on 0800 555 111.”

Trio arrested after parked car is blasted with sawn-off shotgun

Police have arrested three men in a dawn raid after a parked car was shot with a sawn-off shotgun in Holbrooks.

West Midlands Police officers executed a warrant at a property in Towpath Close, Exhall just after 4am today in connection with a shooting in Lauderdale Avenue on Wednesday morning .

Officers arrested three men aged 19, 20 and 25 on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

According to reports from police, an unattended Suzuki Swift was targeted at around 1.30am in the morning.

During the search of the Exhall property a shotgun with a shortened barrel, ammunition and drugs were recovered.

Chief Insp Warren Little said: “No-one was hurt in the shooting, however it is outrageous for anyone to discharge firearms in public as there is always the danger someone could be seriously hurt or killed.

“This was a targeted, co-ordinated raid on an address in the city we suspect is linked to the shooting and detectives are currently questioning the men over the incident.”

Anyone who may have any information about the shooting or who may know someone carrying an illegal firearm is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Foleshill man charged after gunshots fired at parked car

A man has been charged following an incident in Coventry that saw a parked car shot at with a sawn-off shotgun.

Genghis Khan, 25, of Achal Close, Foleshill, was due to appear before magistrates in Leamington today to face allegations relating to possession of a shotgun and possession with intent to endanger life.

He was arrested after police executed a warrant at a property in Towpath Close, Exhall, yesterday following the incident in Lauderdale Avenue, Holbrooks, on Wednesday morning.

According to reports from police, an unattended Suzuki Swift was targeted at around 1.30am in the morning.

During the search of the Exhall property, a shotgun with a shortened barrel, ammunition and drugs were recovered.

Two other men, aged 19 and 20, have been arrested in connection with the incident and bailed pending further enquiries.

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Genghis Khan admits firing shotgun at parked car in Holbrooks

A Foleshill man has pleaded guilty to firing a sawn-off shotgun at a parked car in Coventry.

Genghis Khan, 25, of Achal Close, has admitted possession of a shotgun and possession with intent to endanger life after the incident in Lauderdale Avenue, Holbrooks, on Wednesday, June 8.

Khan fired the weapon at an unattended Suzuki Swift at around 1.30am in the morning. He was arrested after police executed a warrant at a property in Towpath Close, Exhall, a few days later.

During the search of the Exhall property, police say a shotgun with a shortened barrel, ammunition and drugs were recovered.

Khan pleaded guilty to the charges at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday and will be sentenced at the same court on September 2.

Two other men, aged 19 and 20, have also been arrested in connection with the incident and bailed pending further enquiries.

Pair re-bailed over shotgun incident in Holbrooks

Two men arrested after police were called to reports of a parked car being shot with a shotgun have been re-bailed.

The pair, aged 19 and 20, were cuffed by officers following the incident in Lauderdale Avenue, Holbrooks, in the early hours of Wednesday, June 8.

Police investigations are still ongoing and both have been re-bailed until September 8.

A third man was arrested in connection with the incident and has since been charged with a number of offences.

Genghis Khan, 25, of Achal Close, Foleshill, has pleaded guilty to possession of a shortened shotgun and a Taser, and possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

He was arrested after police executed a warrant at a property in Towpath Close, Exhall, a few days after the incident.

Bailed on firearms charges? - Beggars belief.

Drug dealer jailed after blasting rival's home with sawn-off shotgun

A drug dealer who blasted the windows of a rival’s home with a sawn-off shotgun has been jailed for nearly a decade.

Genghis Khan fired the shots at a home in Holbrooks as part of drugs feud in the city and a month later he returned and fired two more shots into a car parked outside the house.

Khan was eventually identified and when officers raided his girlfriend’s home they found the loaded weapon, 36 shotgun cartridges and more than £8,000 worth of cocaine.

Khan, 26, of Achal Close, Foleshill, pleaded guilty to two charges of having a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing a prohibited weapon, possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate and possessing cocaine with intent to supply at an earlier court hearing.

He was sentenced today at Warwick Crown Court to nine-and-a-half years in prison.

Khan was given four years behind bars, plus another five years, for the two charges of possession of firearm with intent.

He was also given concurrent sentences of four years for possessing the ammunition, five years for possessing a prohibited weapon and three years for the drug offence.

When Khan entered his guilty pleas, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano remarked: “This is firearms linked to serious crime. It is linked to his drug-dealing activities.

“This is a man who has large quantities of cocaine, some of it packaged for street dealing, and he has firearms.”

The judge had previously heard that at 2.30am on May 10 last year a shotgun was fired through the sitting room window and front door window of a house in Lauderdale Avenue, Holbrooks.

The couple who lived there were away overnight with their two children and discovered the damage when they got home the next day and called police.

As the investigation into the incident continued, Khan returned to Lauderdale Avenue just under a month later, at 1.30am on June 8.

A parked car was shot at outside the property and the residents called the police.

Khan’s family - he, his brother and a cousin - were in dispute with family members of man who lived at the address.

As a result, officers executed a search warrant at the home of Khan’s partner in Towpath Close, Exhall, where he was arrested.

Under the bed they found the loaded sawn-off shotgun and 36 shotgun cartridges, with a forensic examination showing them to be identical to the ones fired in Lauderdale Avenue.

The search also uncovered a bullet-proof vest, two balaclavas and a prohibited Taser disguised as a torch.

The officers also recovered various quantities of cocaine worth a total of £8,800.

Why no mugshot?

Drug dealer who blasted rival's home with sawn-off shotgun posed with weapon



This is the drug dealer who blasted shotgun cartridges at a family home in Coventry − posing with the weapon he used.

Genghis Khan opened fire at the house in Lauderdale Avenue in the early hours of May 10 last year − and the following month discharged a sawn-off shotgun at a vehicle parked outside the address.

The home was unoccupied at the time of the shooting and no-one was hurt.

Enquiries by detectives uncovered a neighbourhood dispute involving Khan and on June 10 − two days after the car shooting − officers raided his home in Towpath Close, Exhall.

A loaded sawn-off shotgun and bulletproof vest were stashed under the 26-year-old’s bed, while a house search also uncovered 36 shotgun cartridges, a Citroen car key and number plates officers traced to a Citroen C3 on a Swansea showroom forecourt.

CCTV seized by police showed a white Citroen drive past the Lauderdale Avenue address at the time of the June 8 shooting − and five days later a stolen C3 was found abandoned in Sutton Stop, Longford , which was started by the key found in Khan’s home.

Examination of his phone revealed photos of Khan posing with a sawn-off shotgun and several incriminating text messages, including one sent just 27 minutes after the car shooting simply saying "done".

And ballistics experts at NABIS were able to match spent cartridge shells recovered from the shooting to cartridges found in a cupboard in Khan’s home, including two loaded in the barrel.

Khan admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and drugs supply after cocaine valued at £9,000 was also found at his home − and at Warwick Justice Centre on Friday he was jailed for a total of nine years and four months.

They seem to have changed his address from the earlier stories.

He may have moved before the case came to court?