Gun Incident Summary

Gun Deaths and Injuries - Seven people, all males, died in shooting incidents during May.
Four of the deaths were apparent homicides: two of the victims were shot in south London (Wandsworth, West Croydon), a teenager was killed in Stretford (Greater Manchester - one man remained in custody in connection with the shooting) and another victim died in Nottingham. The fatal shootings in Greater Manchester and Nottingham were the first in those areas for 16 months and nearly 3 years, respectively.
Police reported that a firearm was involved in the death of a man in a car park in Horley (Surrey) but that there were no suspicious circumstances.
Two people died after being shot by police marksmen in incidents in Fernhurst (Sussex) and Shildon (County Durham). In the Fernhurst incident the man was a firearms certificate holder and member of a local rifle club who apparently fired a gun four times at police officers. In the Shildon incident a crossbow was apparently fired. In a third incident police shot and injured a man apparently seen in possession of a firearm at the railway station in Carfin (North Lanarkshire).
There was a worrying increase this month in the reported number of other people who sustained gunshot injuries in incidents. These occurred in:
- Bedfordshire (3) - following two shootings in Luton last month there were three further incidents in which men were shot and injured in the town during May
- Berkshire (1) - a man was in a critical condition after a targeted attack in Slough
- Cambridgeshire (1) - a man was injured in the hand by a single shot outside a store in Peterborough
- County Durham (2) - two men were seriously injured in shooting incidents in Stanley (two men have been held on suspicion of attempted murder)
- Greater Manchester (1) - a man admitted himself to hospital with chest wounds after a shooting in Haughton Green
- London (4) - a man suffered minor injuries in a street fight outside Manor House tube station, another spent 11 days in hospital after being shot in Leytonstone, a teenager was shot in the leg in a shooting in Stonebridge and police found a man with a shotgun wound in Hackney
- Merseyside (5) - four men were injured in three possibly related incidents at pubs in West Derby (one man has been arrested), and a woman was shot in the leg at a house in Greenbank
- West Midlands (4) - a man was shot outside a gym in Highgate (Birmingham), two others were shot, one in the chest and one in the back, in an incident in Handsworth (Birmingham) (two men have been arrested), and another victim was shot with a shotgun fired from a car in Stoke Aldermoor (Coventry)
- West Yorkshire (1) - a man was in a stable condition after he was shot in Moortown (Leeds)
A woman was accidentally shot by her husband near Woodbridge (Suffolk) when the shotgun he was carrying went off as he stumbled.
Non-gunshot injuries were sustained by victims in other incidents involving men apparently armed with guns in Guildford (Surrey, where two victims were attacked with an iron bar and a gun) and in two incidents in Warwickshire, the first in Rugby where a security guard was injured during an attempted robbery at a garden centre and the other in Bulkington where a man suffered head injuries from a crowbar during a car theft.
Other victims were injured as a result of being shot with airguns and BB guns (see below).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - Security guards were threatened with what appeared to be firearms during a robbery in Cumbernauld.
A man is wanted in connection with five robberies involving a handgun which happened on buses in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield (West Midlands)
A taxi driver had a pistol pressed to his head during an attempted robbery in Heywood (Greater Manchester).
A woman was threatened with a handgun by a mugger in Vange (Essex), but the man ran off empty-handed. Two youths armed with an airgun robbed two victims in Jericho (Oxford). A gang of girls armed with a ball-bearing gun tried to rob a woman near Hyde Park in London - a 16-year-old girl has been charged with robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Guns were involved in car thefts in Bulkington (Warwickshire) (the victim was hit on the head with a crowbar and the assailants threatened to shoot him) and Winson Green (Birmingham) (a gang of youths armed with a shotgun threatened motorists at temporary traffic lights and stole a car).
There were other robberies and attempted robberies which were alleged to have involved guns at:
- A Bank - in Gillingham (Kent) in which the robber may have been armed with an imitation gun
- Betting Shops - in Glasgow, Duddingston Park South (Edinburgh) and North Ormesby (Middlesbrough)
- A Garden Centre - near Rugby (Warwickshire) (a security guard was hit during an attempted robbery by five men armed with a crowbar and possibly two handguns) (see above)
- A Food Outlet - in Knaresborough (North Yorkshire)
- A Petrol station - in Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)
- Shops - in Ayr (where an airgun was used), South Shields (Tyneside), Staverton (Wiltshire) (three men were arrested after an attempted robbery involving an airgun), Flint Hill (Country Durham) and Wednesfield (West Midlands) (two teenagers have been arrested)

Other Incidents - Shots were fired at houses in two separate incidents in Merseyside (in Allerton and Huyton).
A man has claimed that two gunmen on motorbikes aimed a gun at him as he was driving in Southport (Merseyside).
A teenager who appeared to fire a gun caused a cyclist to fall off his bicycle in Milton Keynes - police have not established whether the weapon was real or an imitation.
Police recovered a shotgun and an air rifle from an address in Weymouth (Dorset) after a woman fled a flat with her baby claiming her husband had made threats to kill her - a man was arrested.
A 15-year-old was arrested after he was found in possession of a sawn-off shotgun in South Norwood (south London), and a 16-year-old was arrested in Huyton (Merseyside) on suspicion of being in possession of a fully loaded, pump-action shotgun. An 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of firearms offence after one of two men acting suspiciously was seen to throw a handgun in Longsight (Manchester).
Two men, one of whom holds a current firearms certificate, were arrested after reports of a man being threatened in an incident involving firearms in Frampton (Dorset). A man was to be questioned about suspected firearms offences after being arrested in Albrighton (Shropshire).
A drunken man was arrested at home after he had threatened to fetch a shotgun when he was stopped from taking his shopping because he could not afford to pay for it.
A man and a woman were arrested in relation to firearms offences in Bedworth (Warwickshire).

Airguns and Imitation Guns - More victims were hit with pellets fired from airguns and BB guns:
- A cyclist was shot in the leg with an airgun pellet as he cycled along a canal towpath in Warwickshire
- A woman filling her car with petrol in Bulwell (Nottinghamshire) was shot with an air rifle - her stomach was punctured
- An 8-year-old girl was shot in the eye with a BB gun whilst she played in a park in Worcester
- A teenager suffered minor injuries when he was shot with an airgun in Oxford
- A man was shot in the face with what has been described as a BB gun when he was walking near Basingstoke (Hampshire)
- A golfer was shot on the hip with an air rifle while playing in Sinfin (Derby), and in Sinfin Moor a 15-year-old boy was hit twice in the leg
- A victim received minor injuries after being shot with an air rifle in East Ham (east London)
- A delivery van driver was shot in the leg with an air rifle in Atherton (Lancashire) (three people were being questioned by police)
- A postman was shot with an airgun in Barrhead (East Renfrewshire) which has lead to mail deliveries to the street where it happened being halted.
A teenager was shot in the face as he was examining an airgun at an address in Bulkington (Warwickshire).
An airgun was fired towards a man as he walked in Dufftown (Moray).
Airguns and imitation guns were probably used in at least five of the robberies and attempted robberies in May (see above):
- A man threatened staff at a store in Ayr with what appeared to be an airgun
- An airgun was used in an attempted robbery on a shop in Staverton (Wiltshire)
- Two youths armed with an airgun robbed two people in Jericho (Oxford)
- A gang of girls armed with a ball-bearing gun attempted to rob a woman in London
- It was reported that a man who stole cash from a bank in Gillingham (Kent) may have been armed with an imitation gun
Police had to deal with a number of other incidents involving airguns and imitation guns:
- A man was to be charged with possessing an imitation firearm and criminal damage after an incident at a pub in Flint
- Armed police surrounded a group of youths in Dogsthorpe (Peterborough) after a gun had been spotted in a garden - the weapon turned out to be an air rifle
- A man armed with a BB gun and knife was arrested in Tenterden (Kent) on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm, possessing a bladed article and assaulting police
- A man was being questioned after a man carrying a gun was challenged by a security guard in the grounds of a hotel in Bishopton (Renfrewshire) - an air rifle was discovered by police in a van
- A woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after a couple walking home in Henley-on-Thames (Oxfordshire) were confronted with a woman with a gun, believed to be a BB gun
- Firefighters were apparently prevented from putting put out a fire at a house in Kettering (Northamptonshire) by a man wielding an axe and what appeared to be an air rifle - a man has been charged with a suspected arson attack.
Workmen resurfacing a road at Llanerfyl (Powys) have been threatened by a motorist who said he would use an air rifle to shoot them.
A car door was damaged when an airgun was fired at a passing car in Llanymynech (Powys). A stretch limousine was shot at with an airgun in Hendon (Sunderland), and an airgun pellet was fired at a bus in Southwater (West Sussex).
Windows of shops on an estate in Ipswich have been shattered, probably with a BB gun. An air rifle pellet was fired through a kitchen window in Pinehurst (Swindon). Someone armed with an air rifle has been smashing windows and deflating tyres in the village of Ashton (Cornwall). Two men are on bail after they allegedly used an air rifle to shatter a window at a home in the centre of Barrow (Cumbria).
A speed camera was fired at with an airgun at Leverton (Lincolnshire). In one of a number of incidences of vehicle damage in Honicknowle (Plymouth) dents were caused to a car by a ball-bearing gun.
A 14-year-old was charged after an incident at a school in Aberdeen involving a replica weapon.
Travellers camped in Sidmouth (Devon) have been "frightening" local residents who have seen them brandish an air rifle.
An air rifle was among weapons seized by police in an operation in which nine people were arrested at stations in Wimbledon and Morden (south London).

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - More guns were found during police raids in which drugs were also recovered:
- A man was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs and possessing a firearm in Keighley (West Yorkshire)
- A stun gun was among stolen goods and other items, including drugs, recovered following a series of raids in south-east London: a WPC was among seven people arrested
- A stun gun was found with heroin during a raid in Hartlepool: three men and a woman were arrested
- A man was charged with possession of firearms with intent to cause fear of violence and another was being questioned after police recovered a firearm, cash and a substance thought to be cocaine in Luton (Bedfordshire)
- Three handguns, cash and drugs were seized by police following a series of raids in Blackburn, Oswaldtwistle and Accrington (Lancashire) - a teenager was among those arrested and has been charged with drug and firearm offences
- Two men were charged with a string of drug and firearms offences after a discovery at a home in Laindon (Essex)
- A man and a woman in Whitely (Berkshire) have been charged with cultivating cannabis at their home and handling stolen goods including an air rifle
A man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and possession of a firearm after a number of incidents in Sefton (Merseyside) - police had recovered a handgun, silencer and three magazines.
A large haul of weapons, possibly from a dumped collection, was recovered from a river near St Cyrus (Aberdeenshire).
An air pistol and pellets were stolen from an unlocked garage in Skegness (Lincolnshire). Twenty paintball guns and explosives were stolen from a company in Harewood Forest (Hampshire).

Incidents Involving Animals - More and more owners are being left distraught after their pets have been shot and injured, sometimes fatally, with airguns. There is no indication whatsoever that this widespread problem is being taken seriously enough. It is obvious that far too many air weapons are in the hands of those who continue to misuse them, and the problem will only be tackled by the introduction of a registration system for airgun ownership.
This month cats were shot with airguns in incidents reported in Clywd, Derby, Devon, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Hampshire (two separate incidents), Hull (two separate incidents), Lancashire (one of a number of recent incidents in the area according to a local resident), Moray, Nottinghamshire (two cats shot following four earlier incidents), Rutland, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Sussex and Worcestershire (two separate incidents).
A dog was shot with an airgun after being let off its lead in Grimsby (Lincolnshire). A man used his rifle to shoot dead a bull terrier which attacked his own dog on a walk in Sutton-in-Ashfield - police are investigating the use of the firearm and why the dead animal was not under control.
Teenagers who have been drinking are causing problems at fishing ponds in Wigan (Greater Manchester) by firing on wildlife - one gander has been shot with an air rifle.
One teenage boy received an official caution and another a 24-hour community payback order for being in possession of a loaded air weapon after residents in Staincross (South Yorkshire) told the police that birds had been shot in the woods.

Convictions - A man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, admitted robbery and various firearms offences has been detained under the Mental Health Act - he had admitted shooting dead a shopkeeper in Huyton (Merseyside).
A man who arranged to murder a man at a pub in Salford, an attempt which resulted in the victim and another man being seriously injured and the two gunmen themselves being shot dead, has been jailed for life after being convicted of conspiracy to murder.
A man who shot and injured a man who came to the aid of a security guard at the station in Rayleigh (Essex) during a robbery has been found guilty of a number of offences - two other defendants face a retrial after the jury failed to reach verdicts.
A teenager who fired a 12-bore shotgun at a friend from his parents' home in Up Hatherley (Gloucestershire) whilst he was drunk was given a suspended nine months custodial sentence after admitting having a firearm with intent to cause his friend to believe unlawful violence would be used against him.
A man who was armed with a knife and threatened to get a gun during a robbery at a shop in Talwrn (Anglesey) has been jailed for three years and four months. A man has admitted assault and robbery at a shop in Dennistoun (Glasgow) when he brandished a handgun and snatched £60 - sentencing was deferred.
A man caught with a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in his car in Loughborough (Leicestershire), as well as a small knife and cannabis, has been jailed for a total of eight years.
A man has admitted a breach of the peace and a firearms offence after he had admitted sending shotgun cartridges and threatening letters to politicians in Scotland.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A 16-year-old boy has been given a 10 month custodial sentence after pleading guilty to causing actual bodily harm and possessing a firearm - he left a woman with horrible bruises after shooting her in the face with an air rifle in Norwich.
A man has admitted behaving in a culpable and reckless manner and endangering a teenager - he fired an airgun at a 14-year-old girl in Aberdeen, hitting her in the head and body.
A 17-year-old, who was one of a group of youths being led by an older woman which threw eggs at an Asian neighbour in Gravesend (Kent), fired an airgun during the incident and has been given community service and supervision.
A man who fired an airgun out of his window in Broughton (Flintshire) admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause people to believe that unlawful violence would be used against them and was given a suspended 40 week jail sentence.
A driver who threatened another motorist with an air rifle and aimed it at his car in Draycott (Derby) admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and has been jailed for two years and five months. A man who forced his way into a neighbour's house in Flint (Clwyd) and pointed an air rifle at her face has admitted affray, assault, possessing a firearm and breaching his Asbo.
There were a number of court cases in which men admitted to charges of robbery involving airguns or imitation weapons
- Two men who burst into a shop in Allenton (Derby) armed with an airgun have pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and possession of an imitation firearm and asked for a total of 23 other offences to be taken into consideration - they were each jailed for seven years
- A man who entered a shop in Malvern (Worcestershire) armed with a replica Colt 45 pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and also theft of a shotgun which was found later by police - he was jailed for three-and-a-half years
- Two teenagers have been sentenced to four years youth detention after admitting robbery following an incident in which a taxi driver was threatened with a gas powered air pistol in Mablethorpe (Lincolnshire)
- One man has admitted possessing an imitation firearm, a blank-firing pistol, with intent to commit robbery at a shop in Old Colwyn (Clwyd) - his brother has admitted some other charges and a third man has denied all charges in an ongoing court case
- Two men who attempted to hijack a car in Motherwell whilst armed with a carbon dioxide-powered pistol have pleaded guilty to a charge of abduction and robbery and one of them has admitted having a firearm with intent to make two police constables believe it would be used against and possessing the weapon after serving a long jail sentence - sentencing was deferred.
A man who fired a pellet from an air rifle in a car park in Halesworth (Suffolk) was fined £100 - magistrates ordered the gun, which he had just bought on an internet auction site, to be destroyed. A teenager, who had also just acquired an air rifle that he had swapped for a car amplifier and who fired it at a van parked in Earls Colne (Essex) has admitted he had behaved recklessly and been ordered to pay compensation.
Another man who had been banned from possessing firearms after a previous conviction has pleaded guilty to possession of air rifles and a stun gun, as well as other charges and has been jailed for 12 months - the weapons were found during two raids on his former home in Winsford (Cheshire).
A teenager who dressed up in army kit and carried an imitation machine gun and handgun to college in King's Lynn was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid community service after admitting being in possession of imitation firearms.
A man who showed off a BB gun in a Sunderland pub has been sentenced to 51 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years with 12 months supervision after he admitted possessing the gun and two knives in public.