A teenager has been found guilty of attempted murder after shooting a man and an innocent schoolgirl in the street.
Rio Jones opened fire on his "enemy" on Upper Warwick Street in Toxteth on the evening of March 1 this year in the midst of a feud between two rival gangs. One of his six shots hit the man in the wrist, while another struck a 15-year-old who was sat at a nearby bus stop in the neck.
The 19-year-old defendant, of Jermyn Street, was today unanimously convicted of attempted murder by a jury after two hours and 43 minutes of deliberations. He was also found guilty of one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, having earlier admitted possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and will be sentenced on December 9.
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Liverpool Crown Court heard during a trial that Jones was chasing the male through the streets - with both riding electric bikes - shortly after 5pm on the day in question when he fired six shots at him "at extremely close proximity". Dashcam footage captured the moment he "stretched his right arm out" and fired six times "directly at" the 20-year-old - who cannot be named for legal reasons, and will instead be referred to as Male A by the ECHO.
The man was seen ducking in order to avoid being hit by the shots, but but was struck in the right forearm. He continued riding for a short distance before knocking on the door of a stranger's house.
The occupant then drove him to the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Male A subsequently underwent surgery after the bullet fractured a bone in his wrist.
Meanwhile, another of Jones' shots passed through the plastic sheeting of a bus stop and hit a teenage girl who was sat on the other side in the neck. She had been waiting for a bus home from school with her 14-year-old friend at the time.
The bullet passed through her body before exiting via the chest. Girl A suffered lung damage and three fractured vertebrae as a result, spending 10 days in Alder Hey Children's Hospital before being discharged.
In the aftermath, Jones disposed of the gun, his bike and the clothes he had been wearing at the time of the shooting. None of these items have since been recovered.
The then 18-year-old was arrested at his home on March 3, with a search of the property revealing body armour in his bedroom. He had "dropped" his mobile phone on the day after the shooting, replacing it with a new handset and number thereafter.
Jones claimed during the trial that he had been previously been subjected to a spate of attacks over several years as a result of a falling out in his circle of friends - which followed the murder of one unnamed member in 2017. The group separated into two factions, with him on one side and Male A on the other.
He blamed his rivals for the "terrifying" incidents - which saw him stabbed, shot at, chased by armed men and run over while walking his dog. The windows of his mum's car were smashed, his dad's work van was torched and his house was targeted in an arson attack - while shots were also fired at the family home on one occasion in November 2019.
Jones stated that he had been chased on the morning of his shooting and decided to retaliate by finding and pursuing a person from the other gang in order to warn his assailants off. The gunman maintained that he had not intended to fire the gun and instead "panicked" when he brandished the weapon.
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