The family of a young civil servant who was killed in the first of two nights of rioting in Birmingham today told of losing the "diamond in our family".

Isiah Young-Sam, 24, who had worked for Birmingham City Council for five years, was walking home to Lozells Road from the cinema with his brother and two friends when he became caught up in clashes between black and Asian men.

Described by his mother as a gentle, religious man who was only 5ft 4in in height, he was set upon by a group of 11 men and stabbed once in the chest. He died in City Hospital at 7.25pm.

A second man, aged 18, was shot dead at 12.40am today as tensions between the two communities flared into violence again. Police said that two local men, aged 19 and 24, had been arrested over the second killing and were in custody.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) moved quickly to dispel any rumours that the man was shot by armed officers. An IPCC spokesman said: "We have now established that one bullet has been recovered from the deceased’s body.

"This bullet is not a calibre bullet consistent with any that is issued to the police.

"We have put this information into the public domain quickly to reassure the public that the investigation is making fast progress and to confirm there was no discharge from a police firearm."

Glyn Evans, director of IT at the city council, paid tribute to Isiah. "This is very sad news indeed for everyone who worked with Isiah. He was a very pleasant and hard-working young man," he said.

Isiah joined the council as a trainee in 2000 and had recently been promoted to work on the internal helpdesk.

"He was very popular with his colleagues and had a bright future in front of him. He will be greatly missed," said Mr Evans.

Murna McLean, his mother, told the Birmingham Mail that Isiah was old-fashioned, well-mannered and religious. She said he loved to wear a suit and tie to work, and would always read a chapter of the Bible first thing each day.

"He wasn't out on the streets or at parties - he didn't even have a steady girlfriend," she told the newspaper. "If someone had tried to drag him into an argument, he would have laughed and walked away."

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