Exclusive:Sheffield gunman and drug line ‘king’ who shot teenage boy in head set to discover fate
The gunman will be sentenced almost a year to the day from the shooting
A gunman who once boasted that he was the “mother f***ing king” of a Sheffield drug line is set to discover his fate next week after he shot a teenage boy in the head.
Tanzir Ali, aged 27, was found guilty of attempted murder in September over the shooting a 16-year-old boy on London Road last November.
Almost a year to the day, Ali will be sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court.
Ali denied the shooting, for which he stood trial, claimed that he was looking after a gun for someone else and didn’t know how it worked when he opened fire.
“There’s not a day that I don’t think about [the victim], I can’t believe what happened,” Ali told the court.
“I’m sorry about what happened, I’m still in shock.
“Words can’t describe how I feel about what happened.”
It will not be Ali’s first time behind bars when he is sentenced next week.
In 2023 Ali was jailed for his role in the ‘Twister’ drug line which operated in Sheffield.
Phone messages uncovered as part of the police probe into the drug line included one of him posing with a gun, which was sent with ‘threats of war’ to other drug dealers.
He also described himself as the “mother f***ing king” of the drug line and when police raided his home they seized £12,400 of drugs, along with bundles of cash totalling £4,181, eight mobile phones and a variety of weapons.
Police found cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis.
The weapons seized included a knife, a Co2 gun and extendable baton. Two ‘stab vests’ were also found.
On August 1, 2023, Ali was jailed for four years after pleaded guilty to possessing drugs with intent to supply.
Three years later and he has now been warned to expect a “long sentence” by the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson, for his role in the London Road shooting.
When giving evidence in court, Ali said he had been carrying the gun that day to return it to its owner, however was stopped when his friend and the victim - who cannot be named for legal reason - got into an altercation.
Ali said that he hoped to stop the fight and remembered “pulling the gun out” to scare the victim.
CCTV seen by the jury showed the victim fall to the ground, before Ali and the others ran away.
“The last thing I saw was him falling on the floor,” Ali added.
“I just ran - I was in shock, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
He was arrested in Aberdeen five days later, with 24-year-old Sharna Osborne, who has been found guilty of assisting an offender.
Ali’s teenage victim remains in hospital.
Senior Investigating Officer Greg Dakin said: “The victim and his family’s lives have been changed forever by this devastating attack. The boy’s family were forced to endure the pain of waiting at his bedside, not knowing if he would pass away from his injuries.
“Over the course of this investigation, we have had the victim and his family at the forefront of our minds, and I am glad that we have helped secure justice for them.
“Ali attempted to kill a child, and then fled hundreds of miles away in a cowardly effort to escape the consequences, aided by Osborne.
“I am very proud of the officers who worked tirelessly on this investigation and would like to thank Police Scotland for their assistance in the apprehension of Ali and Osborne. I hope that these convictions further demonstrate our commitment to rid South Yorkshire of gun violence.”