More violence in inner city area

Meshack Tesfa Bernard-Brown was shot on Monday

Two shopkeepers were left with facial injuries when a gun was fired in Birmingham close to an area where a man was shot dead this week.

Police are keeping an open mind about whether the latest incident in Nursery Road, Lozells, is linked to others in the area this week.

Two people are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to rob after the attack on Thursday evening.

Meshack Tesfa Bernard-Brown was shot dead on his 20th birthday on Monday.

Offenders ran

He died in a possible revenge attack in nearby Newtown.

Two men went into a shop and fired what appeared to be a ball bearing or pellet gun at the pair at about 2120 GMT.

The two offenders then left the shop and ran into Anglesey Street, down Burbury Street and then across Nursery Road into Roslin Grove.

The shopkeepers injured in Thursday's incident, who are aged 27 and 20, will have surgery on Friday.

An 18-year-old woman from Chelmsley Wood and a 22-year-old man from Erdington have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to rob and police believe they may be linked to the incident.

'Mistaken identity'

A police spokesperson said: "We are keeping an open mind as to whether this incident is linked or not to a number of incidents in the local area this week.

"We cannot rule anything out. If you have any concerns and are fearful to speak up, tell someone else who can speak up on your behalf."

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Bernard-Brown, who was shot in Melbourne Avenue on Monday evening.

Earlier, two Asian men had been stabbed in nearby Lozells. Police believe the incidents are linked.

An 18-year-old was stabbed in the groin and a 22-year-old slashed on the leg by what was thought to be a machete in incidents in Lime Grove and Archibald Road.

Police said there was no evidence to link Mr Bernard-Brown to the stabbing incidents and the shooting in the Melbourne Avenue area was "possibly a case of mistaken identity".