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A murder enquiry has been launched after a teenager was shot dead in Birmingham.

Police were called to St Marks Crescent, Ladywood , at around 6.45pm on Thursday March 17, where an 18-year-old man was found in the street with a gunshot wound.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. St Marks Crescent is closed between Summer Hill Street and Daley Close, behind the Barclaycard Arena.

Below: The scene after the appalling murder

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The road has been cordoned off to allow for forensics search teams to scour the area for evidence, while the victim’s family is being supported by specially trained officers.

A blue tent is in the middle of St Marks Crescent and a number of cars have been caught inside the cordon.

A trail of small yellow cone markers lead away from the forensic tent and around the corner.

One resident who has lived in the area for more than 30 years said the tent was covering a car.

She said there had been problems in the area for more than 12 months.

She added: “They know exactly what’s going on here and nothing is done about it.

“We have been living with threats of violence and drugs and nothing is done about it. They all turn up now but only because somebody has died.

Below: The murder scene

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“It’s a bit late for that poor boy. And they will soon be gone again and we won’t hear from them again.

“I guarantee that as soon as the police leave the problems will return. I’m not saying it has always been good, but it got better for a while. But in the last 12 months it has got particularly bad.

“I heard that one boy was killed and another ran from the car to escape.”

Resident Kyle Wuornos said: "I live a few minutes drive from St Mark’s Crescent and been living in the constituency for 11 years. It’s a shame somebody so young has had their life taken so soon.

"The area is a fairly good area and gun crimes aren’t as common as what they used to be and the area has in a sense ‘calmed down’ over the past few years. I think the police need to make more of an effort to seize any more firearms, both in Ladywood and the rest of the country."

Adam Tyrell, 52, who is staying with his mother who lives in the street, said his brother heard a loud bang and shortly afterwards police arrived on the scene.

He said: "We were having some food and my brother said he thought he heard something like a gunshot.

"But you hear these sounds because you live around a main road, every day you hear cars backfiring and things. You don't react to it because you don't think it can be something like that.

"My mother's carers came in last night at around 6.50pm and they said there was a police incident and it looked like something serious.

"When I walked my dog last night I saw police and they said there had been an incident. There was a dark coloured car, I think it was a BMW, down the road and forensics officers were all around it. This morning they have put a forensics tent around the car."

Witnesses or anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact West Midlands Police on the 101 number or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Known Gun and Knife Crime Map (2) View fullscreen

Local anti violence campaigner Desmond Jaddoo tweeted: