Cyclists' row ends with man shot dead

A cyclist has died in hospital after he was shot in the stomach following a "disagreement" with a man on another bicycle.

Elijah Fagan, 24, was shot by an unknown assailant in a suburban street in Birmingham on Sunday.

Detective Chief Inspector Gez Moore said the tragedy had stemmed from what appeared to be an "altercation" between the men outside a house in Handsworth, about two miles from the centre of Birmingham.

"At the moment the motive is unclear, but we do know there was an altercation outside the house prior to the shooting," Mr Moore said. "We believe the victim was punched to the ground and then shot. We do not what the motive was. We are keeping an open mind but it appears to be sort of disagreement between two individuals."

After firing the shot, the assailant rode off on his mountain bike in the direction of Alexandra Close. Mr Fagan, who lived locally, managed to struggle to a nearby street before slumping to the ground. He was taken to City Hospital after shocked local people raised the alarm but later died from his injuries.

The gunman was described by police as black, in his late teens or early 20s, about 5ft 8in and of slim build. He was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans and was riding a silver and black mountain bike. The incident happened at about 3.20pm. Last night officers were carrying out house-to-house inquiries.

A post-mortem examination showed that Mr Fagan died from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen, which was thought to have been fired from a 9mm weapon.