Twelve years on from the murder of her son, Louis Brathwaite’s mum and his childhood friend Reece Morris speak out about their loss and appeal for more information as detectives search for his killer.
On Tuesday 29 January 2008, Louis was at the William Hill betting shop with friends on Mauldeth Road West in Withington when he was fatally shot by a masked man.
Two men approached the shop. One of them held the front door open and the other man shot five times into the betting store. Louis was hit twice and another young boy was hit once.
Louis was fatally injured and taken to Trafford General Hospital where he sadly passed away 12 days later.The other boy that was also shot made a full recovery after the incident.
A £50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Louis’ killer remains available.
Reece Morris was just 16 years old when he lost his closest friend and recalls some of the last moments he spent with Louis in hospital after the shooting. He said: “When first entering the room to see Louis, my heart sank and the reality hit how serious this was. There were wires everywhere, machines bleeping. I just wanted to take some of his pain away so he could speak to me.
“Losing your best mate this way is the hardest thing in life I have ever had to deal with. Every day is a battle with your emotions trying to keep them controlled knowing that his killer and others that know information are getting on with their lives freely.”
“I want the person or someone who knows any information reading this to imagine what it’s like to have kids and have to take them to a graveyard to see your best friend to tell them memories and answer their questions about him. We should be going to fun places with our kids but my best mate’s gone and I can’t.”
Martin Bottomley, Head of GMP’s Cold Case Review Unit, said: “People have been arrested in the past for Louis’s murder but they have been arrested on the basis of intelligence because members of the community have come forward and told us what’s happened. But what we haven’t got is evidence.
“We need somebody to come forward and give us that crucial statement which will lead to the conviction of the men responsible. I would say also that there’s a £50,000 reward still on offer for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
“We are determined to find those responsible. Loyalties change over time. It’s 12 years ago now and the people who were associated with the men at the time might have moved on; changed their lives. Girlfriends might have moved on. It’s somebody like that who we need to come forward to give us that vital information.”
