Birmingham murder
A man has died from gunshot wound he sustained in a shoot out in Soho Hill, Hockley

West Midlands Police has launched a murder inquiry after a man who took himself to hospital with a gunshot wound he received in a shooting in Hockley died from his injuries. The shooting is thought to have happened in Soho Hill, Hockley in Birmingham at around 4.30am when a large group of men were spotted in the road there. Officers were called to the location following a 999 call from a member of the public who heard the sound of a firearm being discharged.

The 25-year-old man from Handsworth presented himself at hospital shortly afterwards with a gunshot wound but was later pronounced dead. Another man – whose identity is yet to be confirmed – was found in Soho Hill with gunshot injuries and remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Soho Hill has been sealed off to allow detectives and forensics specialists to examine the scene, while a vehicle used to drop the fatally injured man at hospital has also been recovered by police.

Detective Chief inspector Caroline Marsh said: "We are embarking on an extensive CCTV trawl of the area and there is lots of intelligence work going on behind the scenes in a bid to try and understand what may lie behind the shooting. I would appeal to anyone who may have been in the Soho Hill area at the time and who saw the incident or anything suspicious to contact West Midlands Police or Crimestoppers."

Plans are in place to increase police patrols around the Handsworth and Hockley areas tonight (30 October) and over the weekend. Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call West Midlands Police on the 101 number or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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