Brixton balaclava gunman ‘ran from the scene with big gun stuffed down jacket’

Three men in balaclavas, one of whom had “a big, double-barrel shotgun” under his jacket were seen running from the scene of a shooting in Lambeth, witnesses claim. Police were called to Brixton Hill, following reports of a gun being fired this evening (Thursday, May 12) at 7.15pm.

Officers at the scene found a victim in their late teens with a gunshot wound, who was rushed to hospital. The Met are waiting for an update on his condition.

Witnesses claim they saw a car crash near the town hall, before a number of people got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots from a handgun. One witness, who chose to remain anonymous, told MyLondon: “We just saw three men running down the road, there was one guy with a gun – there was three of them.

READ MORE:Teen hurt, witnesses ‘shaking and crying’ as ‘multiple shots fired’ in Brixton

“They all had balaclava masks. One of them had a big gun under his jacket. He was at the back and had the gun hidden. It was a double-barrel shotgun, a big gun. The first one was looking back to make sure they were following. They ran towards Brixton station.”

After people heard the gunshots, they took cover, the witness claims. They added: “These two old ladies with a baby started screaming ‘I do not want my baby around this’, so we ran and hid in a pub around the corner. The owner of the pub asked ‘do I need to close the pub?’.”

Police are currently on a hunt for the gunmen. Pictures from the scene show a smashed 4×4 and a turned over motorbike. One witness claims they saw the motorbike driver’s arm ‘covered in blood’.

Another witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “I was walking down here (outside Civic Centre) and I heard a sound of the gunshot but I thought it was a car backfiring then everyone was running so I knew something was wrong. The moped driver was running towards us, there was blood all down his right hand.

“There was only one moped without a driver (the crashed one). Then he returned to the crime scene. It was about five minutes before the police arrived. There were loads of them and a lot of armed police. He had a black jacket, visor up and black mouth covering. Blood was just running down his fingers. He was just walking around. He ran in here and was hiding. He looked pretty scared.

A Brixton Mum also told her 12-year-old son to ‘run home’ when she heard of the incident on Effra Road. Pharmaceutical worker Andrea Alexander, 48, who has lived in the area for six years, told MyLondon: “My son was coming home from football and he heard the commotion from Effra Road. I told him to just get home. They just had to run home, they are only little. There have been a few things in the area for the last month or so. It is terrifying”

The Met Police say a crime scene remains in place and the road – at the junction with Effra Road – is closed to traffic.

At this early stage, there have been no arrests and enquiries continue. Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 6825/12May.