Three men remain under armed guard in hospital after a series of attacks on Saturday.

One of the men was shot in the head and back as he stood in the street outside Rashid & Son salon, in Witton Road.

A second man suffered a broken shoulder after he was beaten with a blunt instrument.

About two hours after those attacks, just after midday on Saturday, a third man was stabbed in a nearby street.

All three of them are under armed guard at an undisclosed hospital.

We the community have got to take the responsibility ourselves - if we can provide the information to the police they will do their jobs the best they can. Mohammed Salim, traders' association

The area remains cordoned off on Sunday while detectives made inquiries.

All three men are said to be in a stable condition

It is the second shooting in Aston in a week.

And it follows the shootings of teenagers Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare outside a party just after New Year.

In the latest incident, it is thought a shotgun was fired at an Asian man, police said.

No clear motive

The man was then chased across the road towards a petrol station where it is believed he was shot again.

A police spokesman said it was not yet clear if the incident was gang related.

The police spokesman added: "At this stage there is no clear motive, but we are looking at possible links with other incidents in the area over the past two days."

Residents have held an emergency meeting with police about the latest shootings in Aston.

A number of residents claim the police are turning a blind eye to the violence.

Gun crime

But chairman of Birchfield Traders' Association Mohammed Salim said the force was not to blame.

"We the community have got to take the responsibility ourselves.

"It needs to be a partnership - if we can provide the information to the police they will do their jobs the best they can," he said.

"They have given us assurances that they will do their best to make the streets as safe as they can."

Tony Kennedy, Birmingham city councillor for the Aston ward, told the BBC that despite the latest incident, enormous progress was being made in trying to stop gun crime there.