Pals’ tribute to teenage gun victim
YOUNGSTER, 18, WAS ‘GOOD KID WITH AMAZING SPIRIT’
THE brother of a teenager gunned down in the street has spoken of losing his ‘best mate.’
Patrick Kershaw was with his brother Cole just minutes before the 18-yearold was shot in the shoulder on Chesham Road, Bury, on Wednesday evening.
He was rushed to hospital but medics were unable to save his life. A murder investigation has been launched. The gunman is still at large.
Devastated friends and family visited the scene to lay tributes. Among the tearful mourners was 17-yearold Patrick.
The brothers were with friends at a house on nearby Oram Street shortly before Cole was blasted on the corner of Chesham Road and Dawson Street.
They were supposed to get a taxi home together, but Cole decided to stay at the house.
It is thought he was later caught in the crossfire of an altercation between two groups of men.
Patrick said: “I got in a taxi and just left the house we were at.
“His best mate was with him. He got shot on the corner of Dawson Street.
“I came home and found out what happened. I ran back down straight away in my bare feet.”
Paying tribute to his brother, he added: “He was a party animal, an absolute legend. He wasn’t involved in anything bad. He loved his boxing and was earning a trade as an apprentice scaffolder.”
Morgan Thornton also showed up to pay her respects.
The 19-year-old was a close friend of former Derby High School pupil Cole, who lived with his family in Walmersley. She said: “He did not deserve this. Cole was a good kid and had an amazing spirit. He was the life and soul of the party. It’s just not going to be the same without him.”
Taylor Phillipson, 19, and Tia Mawdsley, 18, were both at the gathering on Oram Street with Cole and Patrick. They spoke of the moment they heard what had happened. Ms Phillipson said: “He left the house and we rang his phone later but his friend answered. “He kept saying ‘they have got him, they have got him. You need to come.’ It was horrible.” Police say they believe Cole was not the ‘intended target’ of the shooting. It is believed he was a passenger in one of two vehicles which were involved in a chase away from Bury town centre.
When the cars came to a halt in Chesham Road, Cole climbed out of the Ford Mondeo before a man in the other vehicle, a silver-grey BMW, fired two or three shots from a handgun.
One of the bullets hit Cole in the shoulder. Residents living near the scene said they heard the teenager’s chilling screams for help.
He was a party animal, an absolute legend. He wasn’t involved in anything bad
Cole Kershaw’s brother Patrick