Man saw pal gunned down during hunt for love rival
A man saw his best friend shot dead in the street after going to ‘hunt down’ his love rival, a court heard.
Three men are on trial accused of murdering Cole Kershaw, 18, on Chesham Road, Bury, on the evening of August 12 of last year. They all deny the charge.
A fourth man denies possession of a firearm. Yesterday, jurors at Manchester Crown Court heard from Cole’s ‘best mate,’ Spencer Woods, who was with him when he was shot.
The trial has previously heard that the aspiring boxer was killed amid an ‘ongoing dispute’ between Mr Woods and one of the defendants, Kamran Mohammed. Prosecutors say the pair had fallen out over a young woman Mr Woods had previously dated. They allege she had since become ‘a girlfriend of sorts’ to Mr Mohammed but maintained a close relationship with Mr Woods.
The jury was told about a number of incidents involving both men, including one in April of last year when Mr Woods suffered serious head injuries after being attacked by a gang of masked men in Broad Oak Lane, Bury.
Mr Woods told the court that he believed Mr Mohammed and another defendant, Khayam Ali Khurshid, were involved.
He explained to jurors that he decided to retaliate and that he ‘wanted to hurt’ Mr Mohammed, but that ‘there was no plan.’ Jurors heard that on the evening of August 12, Mr Woods and Cole were at a party in Oram Street, Bury, when Cole told Mr Woods ‘Khayam was outside’ in a BMW.
The pair climbed into Mr Woods’ Ford Mondeo, along with three other men, and gave chase, armed with bricks and a machete, the court heard.
He told the court the BMW then began ‘ramming’ the Ford Mondeo, so one of Mr Woods’ passengers began throwing house bricks. As they tried to escape, ‘two or three shots’ were fired at the group, said Mr Woods.
He told the court he then heard Cole shout that ‘he had been shot’ but continued running until he saw his friend collapse. “I grabbed him and screamed for somebody to help,” Mr Woods added. Timothy Storrie QC, representing Mr Mohammed, alleged that following the shooting, Mr Woods had ‘lied’ to police by saying he was visiting a nearby shop when he heard a gun shot and rushed to the back street, where he found Cole lying on the ground. Mr Storrie also accused the witness of having a ‘hatred’ of Mr Mohammed over his relationship with the girl at the centre of the dispute.
He alleged that two days before the alleged killing, Mr Woods had ‘exposed a gun in his waistband’ to Mr Mohammed. Mr Mohammed, 19, of Kingsdale Close, Bury; Mohammed Izaarh Khan, 21, of Palace Street, Bury; and Khayam Ali Khurshid, 28, of Eton Hill Road, Bury, all deny murder.
Mohammed has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. All three deny a second charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. Raheem Hall, 19, of Hardfield Street, Heywood, denies possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, but admits assisting an offender.
● Proceeding