Hosts fear revenge missions after double killing

by Richard Matthews Licensees in Birmingham have spoken of their fears after last week's gangland shooting which left two cousins dead and twoothers injured outside a NewYear party. They fear rival gangs thought to have been involved in the shooting could be looking to carry out revenge missions following the deaths of 17-year-old Latisha Shakespeare and her 18-year-old cousin Charlene Ellis outside a hairdressing salon in Birchfield Road, in the Aston area of the city. Licensees also say the shooting has cast a shadow over the area with many customers now frightened to go out at night. The incident has highlighted the increase in the use of guns in the area and put the spotlight on two notorious gangs known as the Burger Bar Boys and the Johnson Crew which operate on either side of the A34 which runs through the Aston area. Last year there were shootings outside two pubs in the area with one man found dead in his car. Livingstone Shepherd, who has run the Bulls Head in Lozells for the past nine years, said there had been a marked drop in trade since the shooting. "People are too scared to come out at night," he said. "I've never had a problem with gangs in my pub." Norman Bowen, of the Armada in Aston, said gun culture was "getting out of hand". "Fortunately my pub is more of a locals' pub and I tend to know most of the customers anyway," he said. "But there's a lot of talk about the shooting and people are wondering where it's all going to end. "I've never had a problem here but there was an incident last October when someone sprayed bullets around the car park outside." Licensee Helen Brennan, of the Aston Hotel, has also experienced the growing gun culture in the area after finding a man shot dead in his BMW parked outside the hotel last July. "It seems that guns are everywhere now and although business has not been affected too much, people don't like what's going on," she added. Birmingham licensing officer Inspector Keith Arnold urged licensees to stay alert and report anything untoward to police either directly or anonymously via the Crimestoppers hotline. "Licensees do everything they can to keep undesirables out of their pubs and some even use metal detectors to prevent people going in with knives or guns," he said. "There are some good Pubwatch networks in different parts of the region and a determination to keep premises drug-free." Soldier shot in drive-by attack A licensee has spoken of his shock after a customer was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside his premises. Off-duty soldier Private Matthew Gilmour, 22, was hit twice in the legs as he walked to the Cherry Tree at Calverton in Nottinghamshire, with his brother Alan on Saturday night. He is now recovering in hospital. Licensee Tony Wyatt told the Morning Advertiser: "No-one can quite believe what has happened. Matthew is a local boy who is well liked." Police closed the pub immediately and it stayed shut until 3pm the following day.