That is the message from a senior police officer investigating a Sheffield shooting that took the life of a 19-year-old man, and left his two young children without a father.
Kevin Pokuta, a father of two children aged just seven-months and two-years-old, was shot on Page Hall Road, Page Hall in the early hours of Tuesday, December 12, 2023. He sadly died in hospital the following day.
As a 23-year-old woman under suspicion for assisting an offender becomes the ninth person to be arrested in the murder probe, a senior police officer has issued a warning to those who carry guns, and are responsible for shootings on the city's streets.
DCI Joanne Kemp said: "This devastating incident has resulted in the loss of a much-loved young man. Kevin was just 19 years-old, and his death has left a baby and a toddler without a father, and a young woman without her partner.
"Today I am asking anyone with information that might be able to assist with our investigation to come forward. The intelligence you provide will help us take violent criminals off the streets and put them behind bars.
"Our officers will be conducting extras patrols in the area today and throughout the night. They are there for you and we encourage anyone with concerns to stop and speak to them.
"There is no place for gun crime within our communities and we will continue to work relentlessly until we have answers for Kevin’s loved ones. If you carry a gun, you can be assured we will hunt you down and ensure you face the consequences of your horrific actions which put local people in danger."
Over the last year, The Star has reported on 21 individuals being jailed for offences relating to gun crime, all of whom are included within this gallery.
Anyone wishing to report a crime should call South Yorkshire Police on 101.
Call 999 in an emergency.
As a 23-year-old woman under suspicion for assisting an offender becomes the ninth person to be arrested in the murder probe, a senior police officer has issued a warning to those who carry guns, and are responsible for shootings on the city's streets.
9. Karl Mangham
Karl Mangham, aged 19, caused terror and panic after firing the weapon at a home in Apley Road in front of members of the public on April 3, 2023. Prior to the shooting, Mangham had threatened a man in the street and told him he would “shoot everyone” in his house. Terrified, the victim ran home to protect his family, with Mangham threatening to “come to your house and shoot it up”. Minutes later, Mangham pulled out a black handgun from underneath his clothing and fired two shots at a property in the street. At the time of the shooting, there were five children under the age of 18 in the house, including a four-week-old baby. Mangham fled the scene and was eventually located at an address in Auckley. Mangham pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, following an attack earlier this year. He also admitted possession with intent to supply the Class A drug heroin and was jailed for a total of five years at a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, September 18, 2023 | SYP
10. Richard Riley
Summarising the facts of the case, Judge Sarah Wright said defendant Richard Riley’s crimes were first exposed after a bag containing three adapted firearms, one of which had Riley’s DNA on it, along with ‘modified live ammunition…capable of causing serious injury or death’ were found in a locker in September 2022. Judge Wright said the firearms had been modified from ‘firing pistols’ to turn them into potentially deadly weapons. “They’re the sort of weapons passed around criminal groups to cause terror on the streets,” Judge Wright told Riley, then aged 49. Police subsequently executed a search warrant at Riley’s property in March 2023, and upon entering the property, officers observed Riley throw - what was later determined to be a loaded - firearm over his garden fence and into his next door neighbour’s garden, Sheffield Crown Court heard during a hearing held on September 21, 2023. Judge Wright said Riley’s partner and four children, aged between five and 14-years-old, were present when the raid was executed. Sending Riley to begin a 12-year prison sentence, Judge Wright warned of the ‘corrosive and insidious’ impact firearms have on communities, and said the overall criminality and seriousness of his offences could not be reflected with concurrent sentences. | Submit
11. Steven Trevor Nelson
Steven Trevor Nelson, aged 35, was wandering along the M1 motorway around 9am on March 23 when an officer closed the motorway, believing him to be in distress. After receiving calls into the force control room, a roads policing officer from South Yorkshire Police, reponded to what he believed was a man in distress. Worried for Nelson’s safety, the officer closed the road and approached him to offer help. Within seconds, Nelson pulled out what was believed at the time to have been a viable firearm, and pointed it at the officer .The officer withdrew to his car and called for armed colleagues to assist. Firearms officers were then again met with a hostile and threatening Nelson, who pointed what is now known to have been a piece of aluminium towards them. Unsure what Nelson’s intentions were, officers acted quickly and without hesitation to immediately arrest him. He continued with his desire to cause harm to officers by spitting and trying to bite another roads policing officer while in the back of a police car, South Yorkshire Police said. On October 19, 2023, Nelson, of no fixed abode, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges of possession of an imitation firearm to cause fear of violence and assault on an emergency worker. He was sentenced to 14 months in total - 12 months for firearm offences, and two months, to be served consecutively, for assault on an emergency worker. He was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge. | SYP
12. Jahmaine Watson and Taylor Blackburn
Jahmaine Watson, 34, of Northumberland Lane, Denaby, was arrested in June 2023 after his DNA was found on swabs taken from the trigger of a converted revolver. The revolver and a pistol, along with rounds of ammunition, were seized from an address in Denaby following a warrant executed under Section 32 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. The two loaded firearms were found concealed in a cupboard in the hallway of the property along with a quantity of drugs. Watson (right), who was part of an organised crime group (OCG) called the 'Pitsmoor Shotta Boys' (PSB) gang before his arrest, was remanded in custody after being arrested and charged in June. He pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition at Sheffield Crown Court on 30 November 2023. Watson was jailed for seven years and two months at Sheffield Crown Court on January 4, 2024. The DNA of another man - Taylor Blackburn - was also found on one of the weapons following the warrant executed at the Denaby home in December 2022. Blackburn, 24, of Bosville Street, Rotherham, was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm and jailed for five years at Sheffield Crown Court in November 2023. | SYP