In the early hours of March 4th (or around March 1st, according to some records), 2002, Gladstone Lloyd Johnson—better known as Wayne or referred to in some reports as Gladstone Johnstone—was shot dead at close range on the dance floor of the West Indian Federation Club on Winson Green Road in Birmingham, England. The club, opposite Winson Green prison, was a popular venue for the local Caribbean community, and was packed with more than a hundred people enjoying a night out when the violence erupted.
Gladstone, a thirty-four-year-old father of two originally from Jamaica and living in Wolverhampton, had arrived at the club around one a.m. with his girlfriend, Maggie. The couple was dancing near the stage area when a black gunman approached and fired multiple shots at him at point-blank range. Gladstone was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gladstone was no stranger to the city’s turbulent underworld. Two years earlier, in 2000, he and two other men had been charged in connection with the murder of twenty-year-old Daniel Brown. Brown was shot three times in an execution-style killing outside the Plaza Club in Handsworth after reportedly accidentally stepping on someone’s toe. Gladstone was accused of helping to drag Brown from the club. However, the victim’s brother Nigel, who was also shot but survived, refused to testify, and Gladstone was cleared of murder, wounding with intent, and possessing a firearm.
Detective Chief Inspector Graeme (or Graham) Pallister of West Midlands Police described the killing as deliberate and targeted. He noted that many in the club likely knew Gladstone Johnson and the identity of the shooter but were reluctant to come forward.
One man, Kirk Robinson of Winson Green, was charged with the crime but cleared on the judge’s directions in February 2003.
Gladstone Johnson’s death occurred amid a broader wave of gun violence in Birmingham, often linked to gangs, drugs, and territorial disputes in areas like Handsworth, Lozells, and Winson Green. The early 2000s saw several high-profile cases where prosecutions failed due to witness issues, contributing to a reputation for “no-go” justice in some communities.
While Birmingham has seen significant police efforts and some successful convictions in related cases since then, this particular killing on the dance floor remains a cold case.
Crime Immemorial 