A FATHER-SON duo has been charged with murder after two men were shot dead with a crossbow during an alleged burglary at a cannabis farm in Brierley Hill, Dudley.
Saghawat Ramzan, 46, and his son Omar, 23, were arrested following the murder of Khuzaimah Douglas, 19, and Waseem Ramzan, 36, last Thursday (20).
The West Midlands Police had initially believed the two men had been stabbed, but “further enquiries established their injuries were caused by a crossbow”.
Reports said the deadly brawl had ensued a foiled “raid” at the cannabis farm in Pensnett Road.
“Witnesses saw the premises being attacked, windows broken, and men running away carrying plants,” the police noted.
An officer said the “address was deliberately targeted, it was not a random attack”.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro of the homicide unit said the investigation was “fast-moving” and making “significant progress on a daily basis with more arrests and charges”.
“We believe around seven men attacked an address in which cannabis was being cultivated and were confronted by people who were inside the address,” he said.
As the probe progressed, one of the victims, Douglas, was described as a “rising kickboxing star”.
Nicknamed ‘The Damager’, Douglas had represented England at events such as the International Combat Organisation's World Championships in Scotland, the WKO World Championships in Barnsley, and the Unified World Championships in Italy.
The Ultimate Sport Kickboxing Association (USKA) in Birmingham said it had “lost one of our members, our fighters, our friends and our family”.
The USKA website said its members were “absolutely devastated and heartbroken”.
“Khuzaimah was a kind, considerate, extremely talented and humble young man who everyone had a connection with, an older brother to the USKA kids and a younger brother to all the seniors,” said a tribute.
Dudley Police Commander Sally Bourner said, “This is an awful incident and we recognise the wider impact it can have on our communities.”
She added that her department was “working with partners including the council, health, education and charities to tackle violent crime and the root causes of violence”.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event