An urgent search is underway after a gunman opened fire in a pub last night – seeing three people rushed to hospital.
Officers are desperately trying to find two men who fled on foot after chaos broke out outside The Bellevue pub in Clapham Common, south London.
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Police quickly closed roads in Clapham Common following reports of gunfire last nightCredit: X/Twitter
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The horror unfolded outside The Bellevue pub around 5pm Credit: Instagram
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Three people were transported to the hospital after the shooting Credit: Instagram
Metohija police swarmed the busy area around 5pm on Friday after two men riding a moped fired a firearm – believed to be a shotgun.
The pair then fled the scene, and officers are desperately trying to find the men this morning.
Two people, believed to be women, were injured in the shooting, and the third was injured by the moped when it was thrown away.
Witnesses claimed that the women were in a pub when they were hit by shrapnel.
Barrista Will Mason, 27, who was drinking in the pub, told The Sun: “We were sitting by the window. We heard two shots and it sounded like a bomb.
“A few moments later, a guy in sweatpants and a balaclava ran by.
“Suddenly we noticed a hole and a gun on the floor.”
Will, from Clapham, said the women affected did not appear to know each other.
He added: “One of the women had blood running down her leg – although she appeared to be in good spirits.
“The other was sitting at the bar saying ‘I’ve been hit in the head’.”
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The incident happened at The Belle Vue pub in Clapham Common
Uber Eats driver Renato Cabrera, who was waiting to pick up an order when shots were fired, said he saw one man fall to the ground after being crushed by a stray bicycle.
The Spaniard (26) said: “Two men were on a motorcycle and fell because of the police behind them, two police cars trying to stop him.
“When they fell off the bike, he crossed the road and hit the man on the pavement quite hard.
“He fell on his side and people nearby helped him.
“I couldn’t see what he looked like. The motorcycle hit him in the legs at a speed of about 20 miles per hour. He fell hard, fast.
“There were a lot of bangs, one very loud and then two smaller bangs.
“I heard screams as if people had just seen a dead body, but I don’t think that was it.
It was manic – we just heard one big bang and no one had a clue what was going on.
“Men on bicycles ran towards Brixton.”
A witness who works at an Icelandic store just a few meters from where the shots were fired said 20 police cars rushed to the scene.
A retail worker, who gave his name as Jacob, said: “At the peak there were 15 or 20 police cars here, in the whole area.
“The whole zone is closed. Many ambulances also came.
“Around 5 p.m. there was a big bang, but no one thought anything of it, and then a lot of police showed up, so we assumed something had happened.”
Surprised shoppers are said to have fled the area after hearing a loud commotion, fearing the shooting was a terrorist attack.
Passengers were also evacuated from the number 50 bus which was passing Clapham Common when a sudden burst of gunfire rang out.
A local barber said he was left “shocked” after hearing gunfire near his shop near Clapham Common.
Only 55 guns taken off the streets
Author: Harry Cole
ONLY 55 guns were taken off the streets by the British FBI last year.
The annual haul was the lowest in the National Crime Agency’s ten-year history.
Its annual report shows that the overall total number of firearms seized in the UK and abroad in 2022/2023 was amounted to 133 pieces.
It is stated that 78 seizures were abroad, and only 55 in the country.
This compares with a total of 685 guns – including 263 in the UK – seized in 2019/20.
This means that in three years the agency has gone from removing 22 firearms a month from Britain’s streets to barely one a week.
Gun crimes last year included the murders of nine-year-old Olivia Platt-Korbel and pub-goer Ella Edwards on Merseyside, and a drive-by shooting at a family attending a funeral in Euston, central London.
The agency’s report said “firearm crime is currently lower than the long-term trend”, with 5,750 firearm offenses in England and Wales in the year to March 2022.
But figures released by the ONS two weeks ago showed that firearms offenses in England and Wales rose to 6,365 in 2022/23. year – which is an increase of 615 compared to 2021/22.
This means that the NCA seized just one firearm in the UK for every 115 offenses committed in 2022/23. — compared to one in every 24 offenses in 2019/20.
The report did not give a reason for the decline.
The man, who identified himself as Kaka, 34, who works at Chop Barbers, said: “I was in the shop just before 5 and I heard a shot by the side of the road.
– We were all shocked because it was so close, the police were everywhere afterwards.
Another witness, who was in the Belle Vue pub at the time of the attack, said two women were bleeding after being shot.
Henry Smith, 33, told The Sun: “It was manic – we just heard one big bang and nobody had any idea what was going on.
“There were about 15 people in the pub at that moment.
“Nobody had any idea it was a gunshot until we heard all the commotion outside.”
“She was bleeding but it didn’t seem like she was screaming much or anything.
“I don’t think she’s badly hurt.”
They must have been trying to shoot the policeman behind them, but ended up hitting passers-by.
Witnesses said a woman walking on Clapham South Side was shot in the leg.
The passer-by said: “I didn’t see blood, but I saw her touching her leg in pain. I’m not so sure about the other victims.
“They must have been trying to shoot the officer behind them, but they ended up hitting bystanders.”
She added that the two men were wearing all black clothes.
A witness saw the suspects quickly drop the weapon – believed to be a shotgun – before fleeing down the busy high street.
The Ambulance Service said: “We sent a number of resources, including ambulance crews, operational managers, advanced paramedics and the London Air Ambulance.
“We treated three people at the scene and took two to a major London trauma center and one to hospital.”
‘CONTINUES’ IN PROGRESS
The Met urged people to stay away from the area after the suspect fled the scene.
Police said in a statement: “A firearm, believed to be a shotgun, was fired from a moped near Clapham Common South Side.
“While we await official assessments, at this stage we do not believe that any of the injured are life-threatening.
“Investigation is in place and urgent searches are underway to trace the moped. No arrests have been made at this stage.
“Firearms officers are searching the area.”
A moped could be seen left on the pavement on Clapham Common South Side.
Forensics have been working in and around The Belle Vue pub.
The police ask anyone with information to call 101 with reference CAD 5008/13.
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Images believed to be weapons have been shared on social mediaCredit: Instagram
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A picture of the ‘shootout’ was also posted online
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Police attended the scene at around 5pm yesterday Credit: Henry Smith
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The area remained glued for a while Credit: PA
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education