Khuram Javed murder trial: Cousin of fatally-wounded Sheffield solicitor 'ducked for cover' during shooting

Sheffield Crown Court has heard during an ongoing trial that a 19-year-old man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and two 20-year-old men, Tinashe Kampira and Atif Mohammed, all from Sheffield, have denied murdering Sheffield solicitor Khuram Javed after he was shot three times and stabbed on a footpath near Bramall Lane, Sheffield.

Usman Tariq told the jury he and his cousin, Mr Javed, and two other friends had been heading to Bradford in an Audi when they received a phone call from another friend, Kais Raja, and decided to return to the Bramall Lane area.

Kais Raja previously revealed he had alerted Mr Javed and his friends that he had seen the three defendants acting suspiciously around his parked car near Hill Street.

Mr Tariq said: “We saw three people walking by towards the bottom of Bramall Lane. We got out to see who they were. At that point they ran off.”

He added that he and his group of four friends had followed the three defendants along Countess Road, over Clough Road and into an alleyway, and he had been positioned at the back of this group in fourth place.

Mr Tariq said: “I did not see nothing at that point. I heard some loud bangs and ducked for cover in the basketball court.”

He added that just before the shooting he had seen three of his friends running in front of him and one of the defendants had been on the ground.

Mr Tariq said when he later came out of the basketball court he realised one of his group was missing and he saw Mr Javed lying face down in the alleyway and the emergency services were called.

During cross examination, Mr Tariq claimed he and his group had not chased the three defendants but had simply followed them and ran behind them to see what they had wanted.

Mr Raja previously claimed during the trial that the 19-year-old defendant had fired a gun but defence barrister Frances Hertzog, representing Mr Kampira, claimed it had been one of Mr Tariq’s group, Nabeel Abdul, who had fired a gun as a warning shot and had accidentally killed his best friend Khuram Javed.

Mr Abdul denied having a gun or shooting Mr Javed and he claimed he and his friends had only been following the three defendants to speak to them.

The 19 year-old man and Mr Kampira, whose address cannot be reported for legal reasons, have pleaded not guilty to murder and not guilty to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Atif Mohammed, of Sharrow Lane, Sharrow, Sheffield, has also denied murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Two other defendants, Sohidul Mohamed, aged 24, and Saydul Mohammed, aged 22, both of The Greenway, Greenhill, Sheffield, have pleaded not guilty to assisting an offender after claims they had transported the 19-year-old to a safe house in Reading after the shooting.

Atif Mohammed has been deemed unfit to be tried due to learning difficulties so the jury’s role concerning him is to simply ascertain whether he did the acts alleged against him or not.

The trial continues.