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A four-year-old boy and a girl aged 12 months miraculously escaped being shot as gunmen sprayed shots indiscriminately at a house in a quiet residential street in West Bromwich.

The children were asleep in the upstairs front bedroom of the semi-detached property in leafy Shaftesbury Street during the early hours of last Sunday morning as the hail of shots smashed through a window – just feet from where they were lying.

Terrified residents – including the children’s mother Lucy Taylor – were woken by the sound of the gun fired from a passing car, thought to be a BMW, at about 2.45am on July 18.

Steel ball-bearings fired from the gun shattered a car window and smashed through glass in the bedroom of the property where the youngsters were sleeping.

Ms Taylor lives at the property with her mother-in-law Carol Nelson and other family members.

She described how she was fast asleep when she heard the noise of the shots and initially thought someone was trying to break in to cars parked outside.

She said: “We ran down the stairs and saw the windows had been shattered.”

The young mum said the family inspected CCTV footage from security cameras on the property and were shocked to discover they had been the victims of a drive-by shooting.

Ms Taylor, aged 25, said: “It was so lucky that my kids were not hit by the glass or deadly pellets which smashed through the bedroom window.

“We don’t feel it’s safe here anymore. I have lived here for about five years but I am terrified now.”

She said she had no idea why shots were fired at the house.

“I haven’t a clue. We don’t know who would do it and why. But the whole family is so scared now. My children could have been so easily killed. It’s a miracle that they weren’t hit by the shattered glass and it could have been even more disastrous. The whole family is still very scared,” she added.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said: “There were no confirmed sightings of a firearm but a vehicle was spotted leaving the area shortly afterwards.

“Damage to a vehicle windscreen and an upstairs bedroom window were reported.”

Officers have made inquiries in the area and continue to search for CCTV. If anyone has any information that could help the investigation they are urged to call West Midlands Police on 101.

Alternatively, people can leave information anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers the independent charity on 0800 555 111.