Gunman opens fire as children play in street after machete attack as violence flares in Birmingham

A man also suffered machete wounds in the latest attack, which West Midlands Police described as "truly outrageous".

Friday night's trouble began with a car chase in Washwood Heath Road involving a VW Golf and a blue BMW and ended when the BMW crashed into a wall by Silver Birch Close in Saltley at around 6.40pm when the two occupants were attacked with a shotgun and a machete. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.

It came a day after James Teer, 20, was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting just yards from his home in nearby Erdington.

West Midlands Police said the two attacks were not thought to be linked.

During the Saltley incident, two men wearing face coverings got out of the VW and one fired a shotgun at a 23-year-old man who was in the BMW while the other attacked a second occupant, also 23, with a machete, leaving him with cuts to his legs.

The machete victim remained in hospital on Saturday while the second victim escaped with a minor graze from a shotgun pellet and was discharged from hospital but arrested on suspicion of also possessing a firearm.

Police are now hunting the attackers, who made off in the VW, and have described the attack as a "truly outrageous incident which concluded in a Birmingham cul-de-sac where young children were outside playing".

In a statement, West Midland Police said: "Witnesses have told that several shots were fired and it's very fortunate innocent people, including children, were not injured.

"We believe this was a targeted attack between rival groups.

"As a result of the incident we extended our Section 60 powers - which give us increased authority to stop and search people - to cover Washwood Heath last night.

"The operation was supported by a firearms unit, traffic cops and other specialist teams alongside neighbourhood officers.

"If anyone has any information about who was responsible for last night's awful attack - or saw the VW Golf making off from the scene - we'd urge them to contact us immediately.

"It's simply not acceptable for people to engage in this level of violence in residential streets and we all need to work together to catch those responsible and send out a message that our communities won't tolerate this."

Anyone with information can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or call police on 101, quoting log number 2170.

Mr Teer was fatally wounded after a single shot was fired in Goosemoor Lane in Erdington, Birmingham, at 7.20pm on Thursday.

He had been having a kick-about with a group of friends in the road when a car pulled alongside and an occupant opened fire.