Man admits attempted murder over park shooting

Kieran Thomas has pleaded guilty to attempted murder

A man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder following a close-range shooting in a park in Wolverhampton.

Kieran Thomas, 27, of Elizabeth Avenue in Wolverhampton, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent. He is due to be sentenced on 21 November.

The victim, a man in his 30s, was injured in the early hours of 26 August in Phoenix Park.

Police said a teenager who was also arrested over the shooting had been released and would face no further action.

A man was shot at close range in the early hours of 26 August and sustained significant injuries to his body and left arm

West Midlands Police said the victim raised the alarm by stumbling to a nearby address, despite having significant injuries to his body and left arm.

Emergency first aid was carried out by specially trained firearms officers and an ambulance crew before the victim was taken to hospital, where he was treated and able to recover.

A spokesperson for the force said: "Investigators reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage as they pieced together the events of that night, which had started earlier with a dispute between a number of people who Thomas knew.

"He was quickly identified as a suspect and firearms officers carried out a warrant at an address in Wolverhampton, but Thomas fled. He tried to escape over fences and into neighbouring gardens but was soon detained."

On searching the gardens, a balaclava was recovered along with a glove, both of which contained a shotgun cartridge.

A further 27 cartridges were also seized from the address.

Police recovered a balaclava and a glove, both of which contained a shotgun cartridge

Det Insp Francis Nock, from the force's major crime team, said: "Within 11 days we'd analysed a large amount of CCTV footage and alongside mobile phone data we were able to identify Thomas as the suspected gunman.

"The evidence against him was supported by the recovery of shotgun cartridges which resulted in him pleading to the charges and being convicted six weeks after he carried out the attack.

"Firearms have no place on our streets or in our communities and we will always work tirelessly to bring criminals who believe it is acceptable to use these weapons and cause harm to others, to justice."