Four hurt in shooting at Birmingham nightclub

Four people have been injured in a shooting at a nightclub in Birmingham city centre.

West Midlands Police were called to the Custard Factory complex in Gibb Street, Digbeth, shortly after 0100 BST.

Three men aged 20, 23, and 25, and a 25-year-old woman were taken to hospital with bullet wounds.

The woman was later discharged. The men, from Birmingham and Wolverhampton, are in a stable condition.

The Custard Factory is a mixed-use arts centre.

The shootings took place at the Urban Music Event 2010, an annual music festival, being held in a converted factory on the site.

More than 1,000 people are believed to have been at the venue when the shooting started.

David Peebles from the Custard Factory said: "The event was not hosted, sponsored, organised or managed in any way by the Custard Factory although we do have a business relationship with the company responsible for the event.

"Pending the result of the police investigation, which is now under way, it is difficult for us to throw any more light on this tragic incident".

The area around the Gibb Street complex was sealed off to allow forensic examination of the scene, and officers were examining CCTV footage.

Det Insp Tom Chisholm said: "We have a number of statements to take but the offender is described as a black male who may have been part of a larger group.

"We know a large number of people were there and we are appealing for them to contact the police urgently with any information they may have."