Police are seeking four men in their late teens/early twenties following a shooting, robbery and attempted robbery in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
ITV News reports that three of the four suspects are “Asian, Afghan and Afro-Caribbean” and all are still at large, according to the local press.
West Yorkshire Police believe that the shooting took place on Cemetery Road, and was deliberately targeted. The victim, who is hospital with very serious injuries, was found a short distance away at an address in Park Parade.
The police have linked the shooting, which took place around 10:30 pm, to an earlier incident in which a member of the public was threatened. Police believe this may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The shooting has also been linked to two subsequent incidents. In the first, the gang are thought to have pulled over and threatened a driver in an attempted car-jacking, presumably attempting to secure a getaway vehicle. In the second, the gang successfully stole a ‘D’ registration Grey Peugeot 3008.
Detective Chief Inspector Sue Jenkinson warned that the suspects could still be in possession of a shotgun, and has appealed for any potential witnesses to contact police on the 101 non-emergency number and quote the reference 1696 February 1.
“We believe this to have been a targeted attack, and would appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident and who may have any information to come forward”, she said. “We’d also ask the public not to approach anyone they suspect as being involved as the suspects were in possession of a shotgun.
“We would like to reassure the community that we are doing everything we can to trace those involved.
“If anyone in the area has any concerns, they can contact their neighbourhood officers, who will also be conducting increased high visibility patrols in the area to offer further reassurance to residents.”
Detectives are also searching for a dark-coloured VW Golf with front-end damage, which is thought to be connected to the incident.