A man has been charged with murder after a “loving brother, son and uncle” was found shot dead in a car in Birmingham in the second fatal shooting in the city in a week.
Taimoor Zaheer, 22, was found with gunshot wounds just before 5pm on Tuesday and was pronounced dead at the scene after nothing could be done to save him, West Midlands Police said.
The incident happened off Maxwell Avenue in the Handsworth area of the city.
Anib Khan, 23, was arrested by Kent Police as he tried to board a ferry in Dover later that night, the force said.
He was due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning.
A 23-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released pending further investigation.
In a statement, Mr Zaheer’s family said: “His loss has left a void in our family that will never be filled.
“The only thing that will help us get through these testing times is knowing that justice will be served.
“May God grant him a place in Heaven in this blessed month.”
Detective Inspector Paul Joyce from the force’s Homicide Unit said: “We have had an overwhelming amount of information from members of the local community which has enabled some really swift progress to be made with this investigation.
“This charge is a significant step forward, but the murder investigation is far from over.
“We are dealing with the fatal shooting of a young man; his family are being supported by specialist officers at this tragic time, and I implore those with information to do the right thing and come forward if they haven’t already.”
The shooting comes a week after promising entrepreneur and university graduate Abdul Rahman, 24, was fatally shot at a street barbecue in Highgate, Birmingham, on May 15.
Latest Office for National Statistics figures showed the West Midlands force area had more than double the national average of gun crimes between 2015 and 2016 with 19 offences per 100,000 residents.
West Midlands Police is part-way through a gun amnesty – its second in six months.
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