A gunman who fired shots in a busy Birmingham city centre street has been jailed for more than seven years.
Police arrested Deraj Meade just days after the incident in John Bright Street saw revellers ducking for cover as he fired two shots just after 3.20am on Saturday, 17 June.
Careful CCTV work allowed investigators to track his movements from earlier in the evening and build up a picture of his activity, which proved so conclusive that he pleaded guilty on the opening day of his trial.
The 22-year-old had arrived in the city centre just after 10.30pm and remained in the area around John Bright Street, visiting at least one bar.
He was then seen on CCTV footage visiting a club around 12.30am where he remained until just before 3.10 am when he left.
Shortly afterwards he is captured on CCTV again, this time twice firing a gun in the street.
Police later discovered he was returning fire after he’d suffered a gunshot injury to his left arm, inflicted by an unknown assailant.
Meade, of Sheldon Heath Road, Birmingham, fled the scene but by 21 June, Officers did identified him, traced him and brought him into custody.
Meade, who admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and having ammunition without a certificate, was today (25 April) sentenced to seven years and two months at Birmingham Crown Court.
Det Sgt Lucy Mooney from the Reactive Major Crime Team, said: “Meade’s actions put a large number of innocent people at risk when he decided to fire shots in the street on a busy Saturday night.
“But quick-time investigations saw us detain him within just a matter of days and he is now behind bars.
“We are committed to protecting our communities from gun crime like this, and we take robust measures to stop those who seek to bring violence onto our streets.”