Two men who shot a gang member and his pregnant girlfriend outside a busy cinema have been convicted of attempted murder.Jahmel Blakeney, the son of Cabinet Minister Glenn Blakeney and an associate of the Parkside gang, masterminded the attack.He spotted 42 gang member Shaki Minors and his girlfriend Renee Kuchler at the late-night showing of ‘Precious' at Southside cinema, St David's, on November 13 2009 and arranged for Parkside member Sanchey Grant to shoot them.Both victims were hit by multiple bullets in the attack, which was said by prosecutors to have been sparked by an ongoing war between 42 and Parkside.CedarBridge Academy teacher Ms Kuchler, 26, lost her baby and nearly lost her leg. She still walks with a cane as a result of the serious injuries she suffered.Mr Minors, 28, still suffers from numb fingers due to arm injuries. His brother, Shane Minors, was shot dead on the doorstep of the family home just a month after the Southside shooting.Prosecutors suggested Shaki may have been the intended target, as Shane had no gang links.Two men stood trial over the killing earlier this year but were cleared of murder.Detective Chief Inspector Nicholas Pedro said of yesterday's verdicts: “This was a particularly brutal crime which shocked the community greatly and we are obviously very pleased that justice has been done. This has had a great impact on the victims, both physically and mentally.”Blakeney, 30, and Grant, 20, now face the prospect of lengthy prison sentences. They must return to court next month for a sentencing date to be fixed.The jury heard they were caught after speeding through a police roadblock at St David's in the hours after the shooting.Blakeney was at the wheel of his sister's black jeep, and accelerated through the checkpoint instead of stopping for police.Grant, who was lying down in the passenger seat of the vehicle, out of the view of the police, threw the gun used in the attack out of the window. The jeep eventually stopped after being chased by the police, and Blakeney and Grant were arrested.The gun, which was linked to the shooting through analysis of bullets removed from the victims, was discovered later that day by a female walker.The pair were linked to the crime by gunshot residue and DNA on their clothing, and eyewitness accounts of the shooter. A DNA expert also told the jury the defendants' DNA was among that of several people found on the handgrip of the gun.Text messages found on the phone of Blakeney's then-girlfriend, Jalicia Crockwell, also pointed to his guilt. Ms Crockwell told the jury she got annoyed with her boyfriend because they went to Southside to watch Precious together.However, Blakeney decided not to watch the film, but to head straight back to town instead.She texted a female friend of hers that night to report that Blakeney “saw some guy and n just ran out”.She told her friend she did not know who the guy was but he was “from 42”. She also texted: “D guy was with his girl now he[e']s ... speedn back town 2 get them boys”.Telephone records showed Blakeney was also in touch with alleged Parkside men that night.They included Kinte Smith, who was at one point charged over the shooting but later saw the charges dropped. Blakeney also spoke with Grant via telephone six times between 9.35pm and the time of the shooting.Blakeney and Grant were kept in police custody for three days after their arrests in the early hours of November 14, and then bailed.On November 30, Blakeney fled to the United States, where he is a citizen.He told the jury he feared for his safety after it emerged publicly that he had been arrested over the shooting. He revealed that police did not confiscate his travel documents after his arrest.Blakeney, whose father is the Minister of Youth Affairs and Families, spent 11 months in custody after being arrested in New York. He challenged extradition proceedings, but was eventually brought back to Bermuda in April 2010 and charged.Grant has been in custody since his arrest. Both he and Blakeney were supported by their families during the case, with representatives — including Minister Blakeney — seated in the public gallery each day.The foreman of the jury was dismissed on the penultimate day of the trial after admitting he could be related to the Minister and his son.Trial judge Carlisle Greaves ruled that this could create a perception of unfairness [see separate story].Mr Justice Greaves had earlier ruled on Friday that Blakeney and Grant should be cleared of charges that they possessed the gun and ammunition in the case.He told lawyers the additional charges made things unnecessarily complicated for the jury, when the crux of the case was the allegation of attempted murder. Minister Blakeney was not present for the verdicts yesterday and could not be reached for comment afterwards.When news first broke of his son's arrest in November 2009, he told this newspaper: “Whoever is proven guilty for committing such a senseless, brutal and cowardly act, should face the full consequence of the law, once justice is done and seen to be done.“Nonetheless, no matter who was arrested or who may be suspected, they are entitled to their day in court without there being a rush to judgment.“However, of far greater importance and concern to me is the condition of the victims and my sincere hope that their families find the strength to be strong in supporting each other under such traumatic circumstances.“No family deserves to be subjected to this sort of evil and I pray the victims experience a full and speedy recovery.”Speaking after yesterday's verdicts, Mr Grant's uncle, who declined to give his name, accused Mr Justice Greaves of summing up the case in a manner that was biased towards the prosecution. “Do you think this is justice?” he asked, as he left court.Mr Grant's lawyer, Jerome Lynch QC said: “There is no doubt in my mind that this merits an appeal.”