Connor Brookes, 20, died of a fatal wound to his head in Walsall

The brother of a convicted killer was blasted in the head with a shotgun during a ‘revenge’ drive-by shooting, a murder trial has heard.

Connor Brookes and Bradley Sladyszyn were sitting in a parked van when shots were fired at them in what prosecutors say was retaliation for the murder of Bailey Atkinson.

Members of the public rushed to pair’s aid, with Mr Brookes found ‘slumped’ against the window of the van.

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Paramedics had to perform an operation at the scene in Walsall in a desperate attempt to save his life.

But the 20-year-old died of the fatal wound to his head, caused by a ‘slug of metal’ from the shotgun which passed through his brain.

Mr Sladyszyn survived the alleged attempt on his life, later recalling how he ‘ducked’ as the shotgun was fired.

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‘Friends’ of Mr Atkinson are said to have been behind the shooting in Well Lane, Walsall, last July.

Jake Sanbrook, Byron Sellick and Julian Falconer deny murdering Mr Brookes, attempting to murder Mr Sladyszyn and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Samuel Danks-Petty denies a single charge of doing acts tending or intended to pervert the course of public justice.

Opening the case at Wolverhampton Crown Court today (Tuesday, March 4), jurors were told that Patrick Brookes – the brother of the late Mr Brookes – was last March ‘one of those convicted of murdering’ Mr Atkinson.

Prosecutor Michael Burrows KC said: “As you will see in the course of the evidence, Sanbrook had photographs of himself with Bailey at his home.

“Sellick and Danks-Petty both had images of Bailey on their phones. They also had images of Connor and material that showed their interest in this case.

“You may conclude that the evidence shows that they were friends of Bailey and the shooting of Connor was in revenge of their friend.”

Jurors heard how Sanbrook was allegedly the driver of a black Ford Focus, with Sellick and Falconer said to be passengers, on the day of the fatal shooting on July 8 last year.

The prosecution say the vehicle was stolen from the Coventry area weeks earlier on June 20.

It had false plates at the time of the alleged shooting and another set following the incident, Mr Burrows said.

An initial shooting is said to have taken place in Stephenson Avenue less than 10 minutes before the alleged killing in Well Lane.

The Ford Focus was driven ‘at speed’ along Stephenson Avenue before footage captured it being ‘followed’ by a Nissan Qashqai.

Just five seconds later, footage recorded both vehicles travelling along the street, with the Ford Focus ahead of the Nissan.

There were then ‘two loud bangs’ but no one was hurt, Mr Burrows said. The prosecutor told jurors: “All those in the Ford Focus knew that someone in the car had a gun.”

Mr Brookes was seen to go into a shop in Well Lane – about one and a half miles from Stephenson Avenue – before getting into the van shortly before 5pm.

The court was told that the rear passenger window of the Ford Focus appeared to be shut as it was near to Well Lane’s junction with Chaucer Road.

When the car turned into Well Lane, the rear passenger window was said to have been rolled down.

Further CCTV footage captured the Ford Focus slowing before a ‘gunman in the back of that car fired a shotgun at them’, Mr Burrows alleged.

The prosecutor said: “The Ford Focus was driven towards Connor and Bradley as they were sitting in their van.

“Just six seconds later, the camera outside the Oak supermarket at the end of Well Lane picked up the sound of a loud bang and sounds consistent with wheels and tyres screeching. That was Connor being shot and killed.”

Mr Burrows added: “As the Ford Focus was driven away, the passenger windows were closed.”

The jury heard how Mr Sladyszyn later said that he and Mr Brookes had thought at the time that it was ‘dodgy’ that the Ford Focus went from driving at a ‘normal speed’ before ‘slowing right down’.

Mr Burrows told the court: “Bradley saw a gun come out of the back window and heard a bang. He got down.

“When he got back on his seat, he saw that Connor had been shot in the head. He himself had been shot in his left shoulder.”

Police and paramedics managed to get Mr Brookes out of the van and attempted to resuscitate him.

Advanced life support was administered and he was also operated on at the scene. However, efforts to resuscitate him were stopped after about 30 minutes.

A post mortem indicated that the ‘slug of metal’ from the shotgun entered Mr Brookes’ head on the left side, exiting on the right after travelling through his brain.

Mr Sladyszyn underwent an operation to remove metal fragments from a shoulder wound while in hospital.

The court heard how Danks-Petty was not in the Ford Focus at the time of the alleged shooting as he was at a driving lesson.

Just after 5.55pm, he received a message which read “you man shot someone”. He replied just before 6.05pm with “WTF you on about”, Mr Burrows alleged.

Mr Burrows added: “The prosecution say that by then he knew about a shooting which he had been told was linked to the people he associated with.”

The prosecution say that Danks-Petty then drove a Mazda to ‘meet up with’ his co-defendants and took them to Sanbrook’s home in Fisher Road, on the Mossley estate.

Mr Burrows told the jury: “The prosecution say that he helped the others and concealed evidence of their involvement in the shooting by helping change the number plates on the Ford Focus, by depositing the car in a place away from the scene [of the alleged crime], and by helping these individuals to get away from the scene and get back home safely.”

The Ford Focus was dumped and later recovered by police, the jury heard.

The shotgun was said to have been stolen in a burglary in Coventry in March 2024 and was found ‘out in the countryside’ in Wyrley Lane.

Jurors were told that Sanbrook, 23, of Fisher Road, Bloxwich, accepts driving the Ford Focus but is expected to insist during the trial that he got out of the vehicle 20 minutes before the alleged shooting.

Sellick, 20, of no fixed abode, also accepts he was in the Ford Focus at the time of the incident but it is understood his case will be that he had ‘no idea that Falconer had a gun’.

The trial is expected to hear Falconer’s allegations that Sellick was the one who ‘fired the gun’.

It is understood the 20-year-old, of of Wyrley Close, Willenhall, is to say that he ‘did not know about the gun before’ it was fired.

Danks-Petty said during his police interview that he did not know what had happened ‘until he saw it on Facebook’.

The 20-year-old, of Buildwas Close, Walsall, also told officers he is friends with Sanbrook, the court heard.

Continuing with his opening, Mr Burrows said: “This was a joint enterprise. All those in the car must have been in on the shooting, each of them sharing the intention to kill.”

Falconer also denies a further charge of having an article with a blade or point, said to be a kitchen knife.

It is alleged he had the blade with him when he was arrested in Dudley on August 2 last year.

The trial continues.