Keon Lincoln death: Who murdered the 15-year-old and how did it happen?

A 15-year-old boy's life was cut short in January this year after being stabbed and shot to death outside his home in Handsworth, Birmingham. 

Keon Lincoln was repeatedly stabbed by teenagers, suffering eight knife wounds including an injury to a major artery.

The trial heard it was a "short and brutal" attack and Keon died in hospital two hours later.

Earlier this month, four defendants who are aged between 14 and 18 years old were found guilty of murder and possession of offensive weapons. 

The gunman, who can now be named as Yussuf Mustapha, told jurors he was not at the murder scene but admitted he had lied to police.

Jurors convicted the 14-year-old of murder on earlier this month and returned a guilty verdict on the same charge against a youth aged 16, from Walsall.

The 16-year-old was caught on CCTV armed with a large knife as Keon was attacked near his home in Linwood Road, Handsworth, in January this year.

Tahjgeem Breakenridge, 18, from Balsall Heath; and Michael Ugochukwu, 18, of Edgbaston, were also found guilty of murder after 15 hours and 50 minutes of deliberations across four days earlier this month.

Kieron Donaldson, of Aston Lane, Perry Barr, has been cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter on Friday.

Jury hears how Keon Lincoln was killed in less than a minute

The jury heard the gunman was a 14-year-old and one of the gunshots hit Keon in the stomach and caused fatal injuries.

Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court have been watching the evidence over the last few weeks, including CCTV showing the moment of Keon's death. 

The footage goes on to show the final moments of Keon's life. 

In just 30 seconds, the gang chase Keon down the road slashing him from behind and firing a gun before getting back in the car and driving away.

At various points during the attack Keon falls to the floor more than once and he manages get up and try to run away. 

However, the prosecution have said it was when he was on the ground with one of the attackers standing over him that the fatal shot was fired. 

Who attacked Keon Lincoln and why?

Four teenagers have been found guilty of murder and possession of offensive weapons. A fifth was found guilty of manslaughter but cleared of murder.

A 14-year-old gunman who killed 15-year-old Keon Lincoln during a "short and brutal" attack in Birmingham has been sentenced to life with a minimum of term of 16 years.

Three other teenagers have also been sentenced to at least 17 years for Keon's murder.

Mustapha’s co-defendants Tahjgeem Breakenridge, 18, and Michael Ugochukwu, 18, were both sentenced to life for murder with a minimum term of 19 years.

A 16-year-old from Walsall, who is also convicted of Keon’s murder and cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to be detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure and to serve at least 17 years.

Detective Inspector Jim Colclough from West Midlands Police told ITV Central it is currently unclear why Keon Lincoln was murdered and what motivated them to do that.

He said: "Clearly, as a line for this investigation, we tried to ascertain in what the motive could've been for the attack and I think that even after a trial it's clear that that's still uncertain."

'It's still uncertain what the motive is' as to why Keon Lincoln was murdered, WMP police say

Det Insp Colclough said: "What we do know is that a number of individuals got into a car that afternoon and armed with weapons and a firearm set about to cause some serious harm or to kill somebody."

He added: "It has been extremely difficult knowing that those responsible for such a terrible act were only very young themselves.

"You have to question why they did it and what was their motivation, what was their influence, why would they pick up such deadly weapons including a firearm and decide to use it on another person - it's very difficult to come to terms with it in that respect."

"The case is shocking because not only has a 15-year-old lost his life but those responsible were of a very young age."

'Every time she [Keon's mum] thinks about what happened...it just brings tears,' says the family's pastor

Speaking on behalf of Keon's mother, Rev Neville Popo told ITV Central: "Sharmaine is, you know, still devastated and cries a lot.

"You know, every time she thinks about what happened, every time you know, it's disgusting. It just brings tears and sadness."

Rev Popo said: "Charmaine has looked at those young people in the dark. She's seen their faces, and all that comes to her mind is that they're just kids, you know, they're just kids.

"And so she feels, you know, a sadness in her heart for them. She feels a sadness for the parents, as do all of us."