THIS is the moment a drug feud erupted into a violent 'wild west' gun fight.

Leon Parkinson can be seen arriving at the home of his intended target on the back of a motorbike.

The CCTV footage shows the 20-year-old get off the bike before unloading two rounds from his homemade 'slam-gun' into the front door of rival Carl Eland.

The Northern Echo: Carl ElandCarl Eland

Parkinson is captured walking towards the door before firing the weapon and striding back to the bike after picking up the spent cartridges.

Moments later Mr Eland is seen to come out his Middlesbrough home and throw a lump of wood at the fleeing motorbike before chasing them up Maria Street with his air pistol drawn and ready to fire.

Judge Jonathan Carroll banded Parkinson a danger to the public as he sentenced him to eight years and four months for the shooting in June this year.

The Northern Echo: Leon ParkinsonLeon Parkinson

Less than two months later  Mr Eland was allegedly murdered when he was knocked off his bike as he cycled through the town.

At the time of the incident Cleveland Police appealed for information from anyone who saw a white Vauxhall Insignia which ploughed into Eland and a 24-year-old woman as they cycled along Homerton Road/Gribdale Road around 9.05pm on Saturday, August 21.

The father-of four died of his injuries days later in hospital.

The case is one of a number of tit-for-tat retaliation shootings to have taken place around the Middlesbrough area in the last few months, luckily, so far only one person has suffered serious injury.

The Northern Echo: Detective Superintendent Helen BarkerDetective Superintendent Helen Barker

Detective Superintendent Helen Barker, who is heading up Cleveland Police’s response to the growing problem of firearms in the force area, said the growing use of homemade weapons is a concern for detectives.

She said: “Slam-guns is a problem nationally because of the ease that people have been able to make those weapons and that is certainly something that we would be interested in finding out more information about where those weapons are being made and who is making them.

“They are an illegally held weapon and can be very dangerous. There’s no regulation around them and they can’t held by anyone as they are an illegal firearm.”

 

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