Dwaine Haughton: Three bangs heard on night of Wolverhampton shotgun murder
Neighbours living in an area of Wolverhampton where a murder victim was shot heard "three loud bangs" around the time he was gunned down, a jury heard.
Dwaine Haughton died from a gunshot wound after he was shot in Valley Road, in the Park Village area, on July 20 last year.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday, the jury heard from residents who lived near Valley Road at the time of Mr Haughton's murder who recalled hearing "three loud bangs" shortly after 9pm that evening.
Sarah Stone, who was at her home on the Valley Road estate with her daughter on the night of July 20, said: "I heard three bangs which attracted my attention. My kitchen windows were open and I could not tell where the bangs had come from.
"I did not realise what the bangs were at that time. I went and looked out my window where I could see out onto Valley Road and saw a vehicle – I did not know what kind of car it was.
"The wheels spun and it drove off within seconds of me looking out the window."
Mark Preece, whose flat overlooks Valley Road at the back, told the court he believed he heard "three large shots", adding that he "considered them straight away to be gun shots".
Liam Glynn, who lives at the junction of Valley Road and Longford Road, told the court he was playing video games online with friends through a headset when he heard the "loud" noise.
He said: "The side door near my bedroom was open at that point because it was a hot night. I heard three loud bangs.
"They came from further down Valley Road, away from Longford Road. I immediately took off my headphones went through the door when I saw a car coming past out of the corner of my eye. From what I think I saw at the time, it was a black Audi A7. It was travelling away from Valley Road.
"I walked up Valley Road and noticed glass smashed on the floor, I gathered it was a window of some sort from a vehicle. After five to 10 minutes police arrived and they moved people away from the scene and cordoned it off."
In a statement read out to the court from Emma Boyle, she said she heard a car travelling at speed down Valley Road and screeching brakes, followed by four gun shots in total.
She added that she immediately dialled 999 after hearing the shots and heard a lady with a "blood curdling scream", followed by a female voice saying "get inside".
Dwain Smith, of Chainmakers Close, Bilston; Kurrum Guild, of Oakthorpe Gardens, Tividale; Seamus Williams, from Okemont Drive, Wednesfield; and Montell Gray, of Springfield Road, Wednesfield; all deny murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition to endanger life and handling a stolen car.
Smith, Williams and Guild also plead not guilty to arson.
The trial continues.
An earlier jury hearing the trial was discharged for legal reasons.
