London Fields shooting: Hackney police appeal for witnesses
London Fields, the day after the shooting took place
Police investigating the shooting of a man in London Fields Park on Saturday 22 May are appealing for witnesses to call them.
Officers were called at approximately 3.30pm to reports that a man had been shot, and on arrival they found a 27-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the stomach.
London Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance (HEMS) attended and took the man to an east London hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
His injuries are not believed to be life threatening. No arrests have yet been made and enquiries are continuing.
Officers investigating the incident have confirmed that the victim was a totally innocent bystander out for the day enjoying the festival and the sun when the shooting occurred.
It’s now known the shots were fired outside the park and one of the bullets entered the park and hit the victim, DS Steve Desmond from Trident said: “We need to hear from witnesses who may have seen people armed with weapons. Anyone with information are asked to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Chief Superintendent Steve Bending, Hackney’s Borough Commander, said, “London Fields was packed with thousands of people on Saturday afternoon, many attending a festival and many more simply out with family and friends to enjoy the weather.
“It would appear that there was a disturbance between two groups of youths and then two shots were fired, resulting in an entirely innocent member of the public being shot.
“This was a callous, reckless and brazen act, without any thought by those responsible, for the fact that they were in a crowded park. This was quite simply, appalling.
“The incident is being investigated by officers from Operation Trident.
“I know there were many witnesses to this incident and I would ask that if you witnessed the actual incident, or the events beforehand or have still or video footage that would assist, that you contact the investigation team via Crimestoppers.
“In the last three weeks, officers from Hackney borough have undertaken an intensive operation targeting gang related violence.
“This operation has so far resulted in 125 arrests for offences including firearms possession, GBH, drugs supply and robbery. Three firearms have been recovered including a Mac10, there have been over 2,000 stops and the execution of 17 search warrants.
“Whilst strong enforcement activity does not provide a long-term solution, it does bring to justice those who choose to commit gang-related violence. The operation will continue and now intensify.”
Lol what happened to all my comments on this ? Did Big Brother at the Hackney Citizen remove them ? What happened to free speech
As a German living in in this Borough, British non-existing security ’standards’ are just embarrasing.
Whenever my relatives hear any News about London it is either related to stabbing, murder, drugs, youth and gang crime or rape.
Amid this mayhem black youth gangs in charge of your streets due to a ‘laissez-faire’-policy rather than Law-and-Order.
Less than two years ahead of the London Olympics I am wondering how you are going to protect your guests if you can’t protect your own citizens in the Borough that hosts the Games ?
Media coverage on the continent is speaking a clear language – some more incidents and almost certain you will discover the outcome at your tourist information. I am tired of lying to my relatives: ‘It was not where I am living’. Actually, I left the park by random at 3pm that day.
If Hackney and London is such a crime-ridden shithole, what are you doing here? If you’re so tired of lying to your relatives, why haven’t you rejoined the bosom of your family and fled back to the German Shangri-La whence you came?
Are you still here?
I want to know what Gould said! put back his comments! That is not fair!
Where are the guns coming from?
The authorities MUST put all their resources to bring an end to gun crime.
The ‘authorities’ (i.e. the lying politicians) would rather deploy the police to crush dissent, than to solve crime (i.e. the purpose for which most officers joined the force in the first place). The continued existence of violent crime, provided that it isn’t allowed to grow beyond certain limits, is a useful method of social control for our elected ‘representatives’.
I’m the 27 year old that got shot while enjoying a quiet day with my partner. I also have snapshots of the comments that were removed and how the borough of Hackney told people to go back to the park an hour later which disgusts me. Till today, I’m still suffering from chronic pain, missing organs and PTSD and didn’t get a penny in compensation! If only the police were patrolling that day nobody including the rowdy group would have behaved but I guess they were too busy enjoying a beer in the pub during a public event! Hackney disgusts me, every time I go either people ask for a cigarette or money and if you say no they get all agro. The borough needs a real security clean up as it’s not safe at all even until today.