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Automatic weapon thought to have been used in fatal shooting

An automatic weapon is thought to have been used in a murder which claimed the life of a 31-year-old man.

Gavin Parry was shot dead at an industrial premises in Western Road, Birmingham, at about 5.30pm on April 13, West Midlands Police said.

A 22-year-old man was also injured and after being treated in hospital was arrested and later released under investigation.

Detectives now believe a social gathering was taking place at the industrial premises, near to Birmingham’s City Hospital, before the fatal incident.

Western Road shooting
A police cordon is in place in Western Road (Jacob King/PA)

Officers said they were keeping an open mind as to whether more than one gun was used, but that initial findings pointed to an automatic firearm “which would have discharged a number of shots in a short space of time”.

Detectives are pursuing “numerous leads” and have so far arrested and bailed 10 people in connection with the shooting, while a detailed forensic trawl of the scene and surrounding CCTV is continuing.

Detective Inspector Jim Mahon, from the force’s homicide team, said: “We continue to urge anyone with information about what happened to contact us.

“A man has lost his life in a shooting which took place in broad daylight in our city. This is not acceptable and we recognise and empathise with the impact this has had on Mr Parry’s loved ones and our communities.

Western Road shooting
Forensic officers at the scene on Wednesday (Jacob King/PA)

“We’re doing all we can to fully understand what took place, why it happened and who was responsible.

“We’re determined to find the weapons involved. Anyone storing weapons linked to this crime will be pursued with the full weight of the law.

“Automatic firearms are extremely dangerous and have tragic consequences as we’ve seen in this case. But they can also pose real danger when they are being stored. We need to get illegal weapons like this off our streets before they cause more harm.

“Misguided loyalty from anyone assisting by hiding weapons could lead to a lengthy prison sentence, so I’d encourage people to do the right thing and contact us.

“We understand you may be frightened to come forward and provide information directly to us, so you can contact Crimestoppers instead if you prefer. You just tell them what you know, not who you are.”