Four men jailed for life for murder of father-of-eight Anthony Sargeant in Birmingham shooting
Four men have been jailed for life for murdering a dad-of-eight in a drive-by shooting outside his mother's home in Birmingham
Anthony Sargeant, aged 33, was shot and fatally injured on Rickman Drive in August 2018.
Mr Sargeant was treated at the scene and transferred to hospital, but died six days later.
Today, brothers Michael and Connor Goodwin, along with Keenan Anderson and Leon Riley were all sentenced for his murder.
Police said the gun was recovered during a police raid in Derbyshire in November, 2019.
Experts from the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) were able to prove it was the same weapon used to kill Mr Sargeant using unique markings on the weapon.
Michael Goodwin, aged 27, of Wallace Road in Oldbury was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 28 years.
Connor Goodwin, aged 28, also of Wallace Road in Oldbury was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.
Keenan Anderson, aged 26, of Albert Road, Handsworth was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years.
And, Leon Riley, aged 22, of Bridgelands Way, Perry Barr was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.
All four defendants denied any involvement in his murder but were convicted following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in July 2022.
In July 2022, Mr Sargeant’s family said: "Almost four years ago, my son, our father, brother and uncle was murdered as he innocently walked down the road outside his mother’s home.
"Today after sitting through months of trial, we finally have justice for him although it will never be enough.
"However, we still have to live through a lifetime of pain and heartache of him being taken away from his family.
"Eight fatherless children now finding their way through life without their provider, teacher and superhero.
"Anthony was such a bubbly, energetic, witty soul and we will do everything to ensure he is not forgotten.
"Finally, we would like to thank West Midlands Police for bringing the case before Birmingham Crown Court and the Crown Prosecution service for their outstanding efforts within this case."
Detective Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, senior investigating officer, said: “We may never know why Mr Sargeant was murdered, but we have been able to prove that these men acted together, travelling in a convoy of two stolen cars across Birmingham to go to Rickman Drive, where Anthony Sargeant was shot.
"They have shown no remorse, denying the offence throughout. This investigation has been highly complex and challenging and it shows that West Midlands Police will relentlessly pursue those responsible for using firearms on our streets."
Ian Head, NABIS Head of Intelligence, Governance and International Development, said: "Firearms very often move around the UK from place to place and from crime group to crime group and once recovered NABIS are able to ballistically link them to previous firearms discharges.
"Evidence recovered from scenes allows NABIS to forensically link firearms that have been used in previous shootings. Upon receiving the evidence into our facilities NABIS forensic experts are able to connect scenes using state of the art technology.
"Firearms have unique markings in a similar manner to fingerprints that enable this forensic examination to take place.
"NABIS analysts then disseminate this ballistic intelligence to Senior Investigating Officers to assist with convictions as in this case."