THREE men involved in killing Bury teenager Cole Kershaw have been found guilty of his murder.

After five days of deliberation at Manchester Crown Court a jury unanimously found 19-year-old Kamran Mohammed guilty of murder and possessing a firearm with intent.

Khayam Ali Khurshid, aged 28, of Eton Hill Road, Radcliffe and Mohammed Izaarh Khan, aged 21, of Palace Street, Pimhole, Bury, were also found guilty of murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Teenager Cole was killed in Chesham Road, Bury, at 9.40pm on August 12 last year, the culmination of a bitter feud between 19-year-old Kamran Mohammed, who fired the fatal shot and Spencer Woods.

They had both dated the same teenage girl and were involved in a series of increasingly violent incidents brought on by jealousy and bitterness.

Cole, aged 18, was a passenger in a Mondeo being driven by Woods when it crashed and was trying to run from the vehicle when he was hit by a bullet fired from Kamran Mohammed’ s gun. He died in hospital a short time later.

Kamran Mohammed, of Kingsdale Close, Bury, admitted using the gun which shot Cole, but denied murdering him

Reheem Hall, aged 19, of Hardfield Street, Heywood, admitted assisting an offender but was cleared of possessing a firearm.

During a five-week trial a jury heard how the shooting followed a car chase through the streets of Bury as Woods initially chased Mohammed’s car, and then roles were reversed, with Mohammed chasing Woods, firing the gun as he drove.

 “While it might seem dramatic, like something from a movie, this was very much the real deal, with real consequences,” Jason Pitter QC told the jury.

The court heard that tensions had grown between Kamran Mohammed and Cole’s associate, Spencer Woods, in the months leading up to the shooting after Woods’ former girlfriend became a partner “of sorts” of Mohammed.

Hostilities increased and in April last year Woods was badly injured after being pulled out of a car and attacked by Mohammed and Khurshid.

Woods did not co-operate with police for fear of being labelled a grass.

The court heard, on the day of the shooting, Hall was seen passing a piece of wood or a baseball bat to Mohammed in a BMW 5 series and then Mohammed was also seen with a gun in the vehicle.

“The plans were beginning to crystallise. They were getting tooled up and ready for what might occur,” said Mr Pitter.

That evening Cole and others were at a house off Chesham Road, where they had gathered for drinks.

But after returning to the property from a trip to the off-licence, Cole told Spencer Woods, who arrived at the house, that he had seen Khurshid driving around the area.

Woods, Cole and three other men armed with bricks and a machete, got into a Mondeo and began to chase a BMW, driven by Mohammed.

But at some stage, the roles were reversed and the BMW, carrying Mohammed, Khurshid and Khan, ended up behind the Mondeo.

Khan admitted being a passenger in the BMW but denied involvement in the shooting while Khurshid denied he was in the vehicle at all.

Shots were fired by Mohammed at the car in front before it eventually crashed in Chesham Road.

The occupants of the Mondeo tried to flee but, as he ran, Cole was shot in the chest.

He was heard to say: “He shot me bro. He shot me.”

An artery to his heart was severed and he died soon afterwards.

When Mohammed contacted his partner shortly afterwards she asked him if he had been responsible for the shooting.

The court heard the girl claim that Mohammed replied: “He deserved it.”

Days after the shooting the jury heard that Mohammed stated: “I let off two shots and the third hit him. The wrong person got shot.”

Giving evidence in his own defence Mohammed told the court how he had acquired the pistol hours before the shooting for his own protection after he was attacked by Woods earlier in the week.

Bury the jury did not believe his lies that he only fired the weapon to scare his rival and did not intend to harm anyone.

During the murder investigation, codenamed Landseer, GMP's Major Incident Team painstakingly combed through more than 350 hours of video footage including videos from 75 CCTV cameras, and more than 250 people were spoken to.

Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Butterworth, said: "Today justice has been served for young Cole Kershaw and his family.

"Cole has been at the centre of this investigation throughout and we have done all we can to ensure that those responsible for his callous murder are held to account.

"They now face a lengthy spell behind bars, but that will never bring Cole back to his family and loved ones, and my thoughts remain with them this evening."

All four defendants will be sentenced on April 16.