Three killed in crash on night of Birmingham riots

 

About 200 people from Birmingham's Asian community gathered outside City Hospital

Three men have been run over and killed as they protected property in a second night of violence in Birmingham.

The men aged 31, 30 and 20 were hit by a car in Winson Green. They were taken to City Hospital where about 200 people from the Asian community gathered.
Witnesses said the men were in a group protecting their community after riot police were called into the city.
Police have arrested a 32-year-old who is being questioned on suspicion of murder following the deaths.
The father of one victim has paid tribute to his son.
Tariq Jahan said son Haroon Jahan "had his whole life ahead of him".
"He was a very good lad, a good man starting at the beginning of his life and had his whole life ahead of him.
"I've got no words to describe why he was taken and why this has happened and what's happening to the whole of England.
"It makes no sense why people are behaving in this way and taking the lives of three innocent people."

They were protecting the community as a whole”

Mohammed Shakiel Eyewitness

He said his son was a mechanic who worked at the bottom of the street where he lived.

"He never got into any mischief, any trouble - a good kid," he added.
Witnesses to the incident said the three victims - two of them brothers - were part of a group protecting shops from looting.
Kabir Khan Isakhel said: "People came out of prayers [at a local mosque] and they were protecting the area.
"They were standing on the side of the road and the car just came and ran them over."
Mohammed Shakiel, 34, a carpenter, said the men "lost their lives for other people".
"They weren't standing outside a mosque, a temple, a synagogue or a church - they were standing outside shops where everybody goes.
"They were protecting the community as a whole."
Another eyewitness said the victims were thrown into the air after a car mounted the kerb where they were standing.

 

The road in Winson Green has been closed off to collect evidence

 

"A car came flying at a bunch of lads standing there," one young man, who was not named, told BBC News.
He said the three men went flying into the air and "within six seconds it was all over".
West Midlands Police said: "Three men have died following a road collision in the Winson Green area of Birmingham which detectives are treating as murder.
"Three men were taken to hospital where two later died from their injuries. A third man was in a critical condition but confirmed dead at around 6.30am.
"West Midlands Police have launched a murder enquiry, arrested one man in connection with the incident and recovered a vehicle nearby which will be examined by forensics experts."
Officers have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
There was looting in Birmingham city centre, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich on Tuesday night.
Police said there were 163 arrests on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning up to 03:00 BST. That brings the total number of arrests in the West Midlands to about 300 since the disorder began.
Police have been investigating reports that shots had been fired in the Aston area of Birmingham.
Riot police were on the streets and surrounded The Mailbox shopping complex in the city centre.