9Boyz vs Armed Response deadly rivalry explained amid wake triple shooting

The two Birmingham gangs have been at war for years in the north of the city with their territories divided by a key landmark

The deadly rivalry between two of Birmingham's gangs has been dissected amid a triple shooting at a wake. A jury has been told the drive-by attack at St. Mary's Church in Handsworth around 6pm on February 24 last year was carried out by members of the 9Boyz and directed towards their opposition Armed Response.

Modou Leigh stands trial at Birmingham Crown Court denying three counts of attempted murder. The 21-year-old from Victoria Road, Aston, is alleged to have been the driver of a Nissan Qashqai used in the attack. Meshaq Berryman has already been convicted, having been identified as the shooter.

The jury has heard from gangs experts at West Midlands Police who have explained the rivalry between 9Boyz and Armed Response. Here we summarise the key evidence about the two gangs which has been presented so far.

READ MORE: Birmingham gang 9Boyz 'deliberately chose church wake for drive-by murder attempt' - trial told

Who are they?

Pc Spencer Hunt, from West Midlands Police's organised crime and gang team, stated both gangs were 'splinter' groups of the Burger Bar Boys and Johnson Crew, which have been around since the 1980s. He said the rivalry between the latter gangs and their newer counterparts had resulted in 'extreme violence', including murder.

Where are their territories?

Pc Hunt explained that the 'split line' for the two sets of gangs was Hockley Circus and the Hockley flyover. The court was told that the Johnson Crew's territories were on one side, including Lozells, Newtown and Aston while the Burger Bar Boys considered Handsworth, Winson Green and Ladywood to be their turf on the other side of the landmark.

Allies and enemies

The 9Boyz and Armed Response, also known as AR, are not the only 'splinter' groups operating on each side of the divide. Pc Hunt also named B19, GMG, aka Get Money Gang, and the 23 Drillas as allies to the 9Boyz with some of them named after their respective post codes.

While the LW, referring to Ladywood, B20, B515 and the Bandits, were considered friends of Armed Response. Naturally, the two sets were said to be enemies of each other.

Drill music

Drill music was said to play a major part in the rivalry between the gangs. Pc Hunt said: "It was first seen in about 2012. It came over from abroad.

"Drill music is a type of music used to aggravate rival gangs, to talk about what this gang is involved in, what the other gang is involved in, what they're going to do to that gang when they catch hold of them, the violence they used. The weapons they have possession of and they can use if they catch hold of the gang."

The jury has been told that music videos were often filmed and edited by producers P110 and Mixtape Madness and were of high quality. They were then typically uploaded to YouTube and shared on social media, including Snapchat, if not even sent directly to rivals.

Two tracks from the 9Boyz have been played at the trial, both featuring rapper Screwface, real name Khiani Pendley, although there is no suggestion he himself was involved in the Handsworth wake shooting. Pc Gareth Evans, who has specialised in urban street gangs since 2010 at West Midlands Police, told the court that both tracks contained lyrics which spoke of shooting and stabbing members of Armed Response.

It was alleged that Leigh was also present in the background of each video. The court was told when he was arrested in March 2023 he had been playing a rap video called 'M to Da N' on his bedroom television. The drill track features Armed Response rapper 'Lynch', real name Reial Phillips, who has previously been jailed for more than 20 years for his involvement in a number of shootings.

Bandanas, clothing and hand signals

The jury has been told that the 9Boyz typically carry or wear blue bandanas to show their allegiance to the gang. The item was evident in both drill videos played to the court.

Conversely, separate criminal trials have established that Armed Response wear red bandanas. 9Boyz 'case worker' Pc Adam McWalter also stated the gang were known to where 'Gogetta' branded clothing.

He explained that in one particular video made by Armed Response the gang showed 'disrespect' to the 9Boyz by burning a Gogetta cap. Hand signals were another way in which gang members showed affiliation in drill videos and photographs.

The court was told 9Boyz members often used their fingers to make a 'U', apparently meaning the 'up top' area of Newtown, such as Great Hampton Row. They also used their fingers to form the numbers six or nine for their respective post codes.

Pc Evans showed examples in the 9Boyz drill videos of members making a gun symbol with one hand pointed to their other hand making an 'A', for Armed Response, or the numbers 15 and 18, in reference to the rival gang's post codes. He stated this was a threat to the opposition group.

The wake

The wake at St Mary's Church was being held for teenager Akeem Bailey who had been stabbed to death a few months earlier. It is not believed the victim himself was a gang member but the prosecution has stated his older brother and others at the wake were.

Pc Hunt stated two of the three people shot at the wake were either members of Armed Response or its ally gang the LW. While the church itself, on Hamstead Road, Handsworth, was said to be in AR territory.

The court has been shown photographs of Berryman, also known as 'Sav or Savo' and Leigh, also known as 'Lex' or 'M Loose', making hand signals indicating their affiliation to 9Boyz and hostility to Armed Response. Pc McWalter described both as 'members' of the 9Boyz.

Prosecutor Lisa Hancox, opening the case, said: "This was not a random act. The timing and the location was deliberately chosen. This was gang warfare playing out on the streets of Birmingham."

The trial continues.