A MAN who fired a sawn-off shotgun into a car in Speedwell, hitting a passenger in the chest, has been found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
But William Scammell (above) was cleared of the more serious charge of attempting to murder Ryan Cridland by a jury at Bristol Crown Court today.
The jury heard that Scammell, aged 25, jumped a red light and weaved through traffic at speed on an electric motorbike to chase down the Volkswagen Polo carrying Mr Cridland as a front seat passenger on April 1 this year.
He caught up with the car and shouted at the occupants, before pulling out the gun when the car stopped at temporary traffic lights on Speedwell Road, shooting Mr Cridland through the open front passenger window.
‘Fluke’ that victim survived
Alistair Haggerty, prosecuting, told the jury Scammell shot his victim “at something close to point blank range”, adding: “That Mr Cridland survived is a fluke of extremely good luck.”
After the shooting Mr Cridland’s girlfriend, who was driving the car, drove him to nearby Charlton Road, where his sister called an ambulance and gave him first aid.
Paramedics arrived quickly and took him to Southmead Hospital, where a scan revealed he had multiple shotgun pellets in his chest.
Mr Haggerty said some of the pellets were close to the front wall of Mr Cridland’s heart, but “remarkably” did not reach it or cause any significant injury to his aorta, the artery carrying blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
He was admitted to intensive care and underwent emergency surgery, with two further operations over the next 10 days.
Meanwhile Scammell, who lived in Honiton Road, Fishponds before his arrest, rode south towards the River Avon.
He told jurors he had dumped the shotgun in Netham Park, next to the Feeder Canal – but it was never found despite an extensive police search of the area.
The court heard Scammell then crossed the river to St Anne’s Woods nature reserve, where he dumped the e-motorbike, along with the balaclava and clothing he had been wearing, his mobile phone and some shotgun cartridges.
While in the park he started talking to a teaching assistant who was on a break from her school nearby. She overheard him on his phone, telling a friend he had hit someone in the chest, and when she asked what was going on, he said: “You’ll see it on the news later.”
During his trial the court heard Scammell enlisted the help of two friends from Staple Hill, who took him to Lower Ledge Farm, near Dyrham, where he hid out in an unoccupied building before being found and arrested by the police in the early hours of the following morning, 13 hours after the shooting.
CCTV recorded chase
The jury was shown CCTV video footage of Scammell, wearing a black balaclava, dark clothing and a hood, riding the e-bike through a red light at the junction of Blackhorse Road and Two Mile Hill in Kingswood to catch up with the car, before riding alongside it shouting at Mr Cridland and his friend Keaton Scudamore, who was sitting in the back seat, in Speedwell Road.
A couple in a car travelling behind the Polo saw the black e-bike weaving in and out of traffic beside the Polo before it stopped alongside at a set of temporary traffic lights.
They then saw Scammell take out a gun and point it through the open passenger window of the Polo at Mr Cridland, before the gun went off.
Scammell denied charges of attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, claiming that he had intended to fire the gun past Mr Cridland to scare him.
The court heard that the two former friends had been involved in a dispute about a previous e-bike belonging to Scammell that had been stolen.
Scammell admitted a charge of possessing a shortened shotgun.
He will be sentenced next January.
‘Isolated incident’ – police
After the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Jess Aston said: “This was a serious and concerning incident, and today’s outcome reflects the gravity of the offending.
“Incidents involving firearms are understandably alarming for those who live and work in our communities.
“I want to reassure the public that this was an isolated incident involving individuals known to one another.
Throughout our investigation, we found no evidence to suggest there was any wider risk to the community.
“While incidents such as this can cause concern, cases involving firearms remain rare.
“I would like to thank the members of the public who assisted our enquiries, as well as the officers and staff involved in what was a complex investigation.
“My thoughts remain with those affected by this incident. While today’s verdict cannot change what happened, I hope it provides some reassurance that offences involving firearms will be thoroughly investigated and that that responsible will be held accountable.”