Two men who were behind a a targeted shooting which brought terror to one of Nottingham's busiest streets at rush hour have been jailed for a total of 26 years.
Remay McKenzie blasted a car with two shots from a sawn-off shotgun in Gregory Boulevard on Monday, April 30.
After missing his target, he jumped in to a car with getaway driver Ashton Alexander, who was on bail at the time awaiting sentence for his part in last summer's riots.
The pair were told by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court yesterday they would be locked up for a total of 26 years.
Three men were in a silver Citroen – the pair's intended target – as it stopped in a queue of traffic at the junction of Gregory Boulevard and Birkin Avenue at about 5.15pm.
McKenzie ran up to the car, pointed the shotgun through an open window, angled it towards the rear passenger seat, and pulled the trigger.
The driver crashed the Citroen into parked cars as he tried to speed off, but McKenzie ran after it and fired again, hitting the rear window.
The 22-year-old then ran to the nearby Volkswagen Polo driven by Alexander and the pair fled the scene.
Detective Inspector Justine Wilson said: "The men in the car were incredibly lucky not to have been injured.
"However, this does not detract from the traumatic impact this incident will have had on them, the members of the public who witnessed it, and also the shock caused to the wider community. The incident happened in the middle of rush hour, in broad daylight and in a very busy street."
After the shooting shotgun pellet holes could be seen in the wall of a takeaway near the scene.
Following the attack Notts Police flooded the area with extra patrols and detectives examined CCTV and reviewed forensic tests.
McKenzie and Alexander were arrested and both pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
McKenzie, formerly of Canterbury Avenue, Radford, was sentenced to a total of 15 years.
He was handed 14 years for the firearms offence.
He also pleaded guilty to affray and possession of cannabis with intent to supply and received a 12 month sentence for each, to run concurrently with each other and consecutively with the firearms offence.
Alexander, 20, formerly of Radford Road, Hyson Green, was sentenced to 11 years for the firearms offence, to run consecutively to a four year sentence he is already serving for riot.
DI Wilson said McKenzie and Alexander had already come across their intended target earlier that day and later decided to strike when they saw him again in the car.
She added: "Alexander then waited while McKenzie committed the offence before the pair fled Nottingham, showing a blatant disregard for the potential consequences of their actions.
"The sentences handed down today prove that anyone found in possession of a firearm should expect to go to prison for a significant time."
