Two teenagers who were shot in Birmingham on Friday night had just arrived at a children's Halloween party, it has emerged.

The boys, aged 14 and 15, had been at a community centre before making their way to the children's party at a family home in Victoria Road, Handsworth.

As they knocked on the door a shot was fired from a vehicle. The bullet travelled through one of the boy's bodies, narrowly missing his spine, before hitting the other boy in his back and lodging in his stomach.

"We're really appealing for any help", Detective Superintendent Maria Fox told Sky News.

"There must be somebody out there that knows the individuals responsible, knows what's happened, somebody will have talked about it, someone will have had a conversation about this incident.


"So we want to appeal to the community - don't harbour these people, they're cowards. Who would discharge a firearm at two children?"

West Midlands Police said there were about 10 children aged under 10 in the house at the time of the incident, including a one-year-old baby.

The victims, who are cousins, are in a serious but stable condition in hospital. One of the boys has undergone surgery.

West Midlands Police said they believed the firearm was discharged from the driver's side of the vehicle.

Officers are appealing for any CCTV or dashcam footage that may have captured anything suspicious between 8pm- 8.15pm on Friday.