A mother has told a jury of the terrifying moment she rushed her kids home from playing outside after she witnessed a man being fatally shot in the street. Luke Graham was shot in the shoulder by gunman Wade Cox, who was previously found guilty, while sitting in a Volkswagen Caddy van with another man and later passed away in hospital on June 13, 2018.
Cox 'fired a number of shots at what was effectively point blank range' as the two men sat in the vehicle on Birch Street, jurors heard, the Manchester Evening News reports. The second man in the car was shot in the leg but survived the attack and Cox, of Droylsden, was subsequently found guilty of murder in 2019.
However, he did not act alone and another man, Callum Haplin, has been accused of 'actively participating' in the shooting. On day three of the trial, neighbour Amy Clowes told the court what she witnessed that afternoon while her kids had been playing outside.
Minshull Street Crown Court previously heard Haplin, 28, 'encouraged and assisted' in the murder of Luke Graham in Ashton-under-Lyne. He is accused of being one of two men with Cox at the time and is thought to have played a significant role in the shooting, including closing the door of the van to stop Mr Graham escaping and 'willingly' taking possession of the murder weapon after the attack.
Prosecutors say Mr Haplin also played a 'pivotal part in the destruction' of the silver Audi they travelled in which was later discovered on fire by an off-duty officer. Ms Clowes told the court she knew the property where Mr Graham was shot outside of was being used as a 'crack den' and was occupied by drug users.
On the afternoon of June 13, her kids had been playing outside when she saw Mr Graham and his associate pull up outside the house in a van. She said the associate briefly entered the house and then returned before the van left and headed back onto the main road.
When asked by the prosecution what happened next, Ms Clowes said: "My attention was drawn to a vehicle that pulled up beside the shop on Birch Street. There were three people in the car, all males. One got out of the driver's seat, the other got out of the front passenger seat and the other out the back.
"I could see the person's face, who got out the front passenger seat. He looked about 17 or 18, and had quite a young-looking babyface."
She revealed three men went into the 'crack house' and moments later the van returned with Mr Graham and the other man in it. The three men then came out the house wearing balaclavas and one of them opened the passenger door and she heard three shots being fired at Luke Graham and his associate.
She added: "The other men stayed to the left of the man who shot him. My only intention was to get my children back in the house. I was screaming and shouting at my kids to get them back in the house. It’s not something you see everyday."
Another neighbour said in a statement she heard someone shouting something like 'oi oi' when the van pulled up and what sounded like 'someone popping a bag of crisps' multiple times before she heard Ms Clowes screams. Steven Levesconte, known as 'Peanut' who lived at the Birch Street house at the time said he had seen Mr Graham's associate earlier in the day when he ordered drugs.
He said later in the day he heard someone shout 'yo' from inside the house and came downstairs to discover the three men in balaclavas in the living room. He said one of the men told him to call Mr Graham's associate and 'get him back here'.
As he phoned him another man threatened to shoot him in the leg if he started any 'funny business' Mr Levescone told the jury. The van pulled up outside the property a few minutes later and he went upstairs as the three men went outside.
He said: "I went in the front bedroom and looked at my friend, we were just looking at each other and then went to the window to see what was going on. I saw one of them go round to the passenger side with something in his hand and I heard two gunshots. After that, everybody was out."
CCTV footage of the incident was played to the jury and it was heard five shots were fired, one of which hit Mr Graham through the shoulder. Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson said it was obvious there was evidence of extensive attempts at resuscitation, including chest surgery.
He stated there was a gun shot entry and exit wound after the bullet entered through Mr Graham's left shoulder and exited from the right side of his body. His cause of death was concluded to be a 'combination of a single gunshot wound, severe haemorrhaging and collapse of the lungs' as Dr Wilson confirmed his chance of surviving had been very slim.
Mr Haplin, of Beede Street, Openshaw, denies murder; and wounding with intent.
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