Birmingham Grime Artist Saphan “Safone” Robinson Gunned Down In City Shooting

Top Birmingham grime artist Saphan Robinson was the victim gunned down in a city street by a man wielding a sawn-off shotgun.

The chart star, 26, was blasted in the chest by a gunman who was in a car which pulled into Bourne Green, Quinton, at around 6.30pm on Sunday.

The music star – known as SafOne or Safone – is currently in hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.

Witnesses told how the shooting had shocked residents of the cul-de-sac. One said: “This is a quiet residential cul-de-sac with young families with kids living here.

“The shooting has shaken everyone up.”

Mr Robinson’s music is regularly played on Radio 1 and he has performed at sell-out shows across the country. He has a huge online following and in each of the last two years he has been included in music magazine polls of the Top 20 grime artists.

Best known for 2015’s She Wants A Man From Brum, he also appeared on P. Money’s 10/10 Remix hit last year.

Hours after the shooting, Mr Robinson’s Twitter account had replied to a Birmingham Mail report of the shooting. It had tweeted: “U guys talkin **** AGAIN !!! Lyin in garden f**k off lol ima get u guys yanna!”

Police had swooped on the street after the shooting and remained at the scene today while forensics examinations were carried out.

"Slapped it ca he had to" @birminghammail 1 minute ur biggin me up next minute ur sayin im slumped in gardens. Dont take d fuckin piss ! If u know u know doe 🤷🏾‍♂️ #Madone #TheLinkUp 6/8/17

A post shared by Madonemusic (@safonemadone) on Jul 10, 2017 at 9:49am PDT