Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – An eyewitness has described a man’s dramatic escape following a shooting near Peckham Library in Southwark, as police continue their investigation.
History, November 5, at roughly 6:45 p.m., a joe was shot” in the leg” as Michael Prince was outside Peckham Library in Southwark.
After fleeing into a nearby store, the 26-year-old victim was taken to the hospital with severe injuries.
Michael said:
“I was standing there, there was a group congregated, chilling out, relaxing, smoking, you know how they do.
The bullet licked him straight in his leg – it was a hard shot.
As soon as it licked him, it’s like you saw a piece of flesh just fly out of his leg.
I thought it was a paintball shot at first, because the way it splattered his leg, I thought ‘was that a real shot?’
And then boom, obviously he’s leaking, he’s bleeding, but he’s done the smartest thing in order to save his life.
He kept moving.
The guy was coming over to him, looking to get the body shot, looking to get the end shot.
And this guy jumped up, he got shot in his leg, fell on the floor, got up, rolled, and he was going back over that thing there [a seating area near the scene], and he literally flipped over it.
I thought, did he get shot again? But he flipped over it, not looking, and then carried on ducking, went all the way around, and went into Filishack, which is the food shop just here.”
Today, Filishack was shuttered and under police guard. Through the window, one can see a bundle of bloodied towels.
He said:
“I thought these guys are ridiculous, a man is just getting shot in the middle of Peckham.
To shoot someone right there, basically in broad daylight, it was just getting dark and with so many cameras – I thought that was a stupid thing to do.”
Michael was taken aback by the shooting taking place in a crowded public area with lots of witnesses.
Many folks who heard the shooting on Bonfire Night thought it was just more fireworks.
May heard three or four popping sounds while she was working close by at the Abbeville Internet Cafe.
No one has been taken into custody.
A cordon is in place outside Peckham Library as part of a continuing forensic investigation, and it is anticipated to stay there for some time.
A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said:
“We were called at 6.38pm on Wednesday 5 November to reports of a shooting on Peckham Hill Street, SE15.
We sent resources, including an ambulance crew, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and a paramedic in a fast response car.
We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance. We treated a man for a gunshot wound and took him a major trauma centre.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said:
“Police were called at 18:41hrs on Wednesday, 5 November to Peckham Hill Street, Southwark to reports of a shooting.
Officers attended, along with the London Ambulance Service, and a 26-year-old man was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
It is not believed to be life-threatening.
No arrests have been made at this stage and a crime scene remains in place.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or online, quoting 6590/5NOV.”
Which CCTV locations are being checked for the suspect’s movements?
Public and private CCTV cameras covering Peckham Square, Peckham Library, and the near rest center, which form part of the cordoned- off area. Cameras at major roads, machine stops, and transport capitals near the crime scene to track entry and exit routes.
Footage from original businesses, petrol stations, cafés, and auto premises girding Peckham Hill Street and the forecourt. Any inner CCTV deposited near doorways or windows facing outside areas where the incident or escape might have passed.
Investigators generally set parameters grounded on the incident time and known locales to prioritize camera trawls, continuously conforming as new information emerges. The thing is to establish a timeline of events, confirm substantiation accounts, and identify the suspect’s route following the firing.