Two men have been jailed for a total of 55 years for a shooting outside a nightclub in Bexleyheath, southeast London, in which the victim survived despite being shot at point-blank range in the head.
The 30-year-old victim was shot with a converted starter pistol just below his eye, and a second bullet lodged in his spine. He spent eight days on a critical care ward and almost lost sight in his right eye following the attack in January.
Shooting followed nightclub altercation
The near-fatal shooting followed a minor altercation inside the nightclub on Bexleyheath Broadway. The victim's group was attacked as they left the venue, and one of the attackers was knocked unconscious.
Gunmen Marvin Bulle, 33, and Carlos Parks, 35, returned to their car, where CCTV captured them using a slang word for a firearm. Footage showed Bulle reaching into the front passenger seat, retrieving an item, and making a gesture consistent with cocking a gun. As he walked back to the scene, Parks followed slowly in the car.
Dash cam captured the shooting
Bulle was seen shooting the firearm twice at close range towards the victim, with a bullet striking him below the eye. The shooting was captured on a dash cam fitted in a London Ambulance Service response car that had been flagged down to assist the man knocked unconscious outside the nightclub.
Bulle ran to Parks' car, and the pair made off at speed. Parks lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a lamppost 100 metres away. They dumped the car and fled on foot.
Arrests and convictions
Parks was arrested in Greenwich on 4 January, 14 hours after the shooting. Bulle fled to Suffolk then rural Essex, where he was arrested in Mistley on 14 January. Both men were identified from CCTV. Initially, the gun could not be found, meaning no DNA linked Bulle to the weapon. However, a converted starter pistol was later linked to the shooting by the Met's specialist forensics lab after it was recovered in Eltham in May during an unrelated investigation.
Bulle was found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at Woolwich Crown Court on 7 August. Parks was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life at the same court. On Friday, Bulle was jailed for 35 years, and Parks received 20 years.
Detective Inspector Raymond Sekalongo, of the Met Police's specialist Trident firearms unit, said: "This assault could so easily have resulted in the victim's death. It is nothing short of a miracle that he survived." He added: "Both these attackers are dangerous men, who thought nothing of taking a firearm out onto the streets of London. I am pleased they are now locked up for a significant period of time. This case shows the consequences of gun crime – and the Met's commitment to bringing those who perpetrate serious violence in the capital to justice."
