Victim is shot after street brawl in Willington Quay
Aug 20 2010 by Robert Weatherall, The Journal
A MAN was shot in the leg last night when violence flared in a quiet residential North East street.
Police were called to Quay View in Willington Quay, Wallsend, North Tyneside, at around 5.30pm where they found the 25-year-old victim with injuries neighbours described as “horrific”.
Children were reportedly playing in the quiet cul-de-sac following what police described as an “organised fight” in the area.
Neighbours said they heard several gun shots and saw three or four men running through the street before driving off in a white car.
The victim, who has not been named, was left lying in the street and was reportedly helped by friends who placed towels on his wound.
He was then taken by ambulance to North Tyneside General Hospital, where he was understood to be under armed guard. His injuries are serious but not life-threatening.
Quay view was cordoned off last night as forensics probed the scene and police were last night still hunting the suspected gunmen.
One man, who lives on neighbouring Marina View and asked not to be identified, said: “I was watering my garden when it all began. The garden backs onto the street where it happened.
“I heard a loud bang, some people have said they heard two. I knew immediately it was a gun shot. I came from the back garden out to the front. There were a lot of children playing in the street so I told them to go inside.
“A few minutes later a white car came speeding round. It’s tyres made a really loud screeching noise. There were two men in the back lying down. I don’t know if they were the shooters.
“I heard from a neighbour that the shot man never called ambulance but that instead some friends came and wrapped him in a blanket.”
A woman who lives close to the scene and also asked not to be identified said: “Apparently his leg exploded when he was hit. It was horrific.
“There’s a cut that runs from the cul-de-sac through the next street and the neighbours said they men came running through there, shooting, and then when they couldn’t get him they’ve driven round to the other side.
“I’ve heard the guy who was shot was just sitting in front of his house when they arrived.”
A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “At 5.30pm police received information about an organised fight in Wallsend.
“While inquiries were under way into this information, officers received a report of a man being injured in the Willington Quay area of Wallsend.
“Police and ambulance service attended and a 25-year-old man was taken to hospital with a suspected gun shot wound to the leg.
“His condition is being described as serious but life-threatening.
“A police investigation into the suspected shooting is underway, and anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact police on 0345 604 3043.”
