A Volkswagen Golf that was "riddled with bullets" was found outside a hospital after a man admitted himself to A&E with signs of gunshot wounds. Police believe a "targeted" attack occurred when a man was shot close to the hospital on Sunday evening.
The victim is expected to recover from the incident but police were forced to lock down the A&E facility after shots were reportedly fired on a residential street less than one mile away from University Hospitals Birmingham's Heartlands facility, reports BirminghamLive.
The attack took place just before 7pm on Sunday, April 30, when police say a car on Shaw Hill Road in Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was hit with bullets and later appeared outside the hospital. Cops closed the site over fears of patient safety.
A local author, Omar Akbar, said he and other patients were asked to leave the accident and emergency ward and go to another hospital nearby. He tweeted: "Bullet holes in car windows. We (new patients) got turned away. I had to go to another hospital where my wait was from 7.30pm [to] 2.20am.
"Look how far the nation has fallen. I’m sharing this as I think it’s monumentally messed up to have to leave a hospital due to a shooting and then go to another and wait for seven hours."
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "A man presented himself at hospital with gunshot wounds to his abdomen and leg yesterday just before 7pm.
"We understand he was in a car on Shaw Hill Road in Washwood Heath when shots were fired at the vehicle and the injuries were sustained.vHe remains in hospital. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
"We are carrying out a forensic examination of the car and trawling CCTV from the area to establish what happened and identify who was responsible. We know that this will have been alarming for residents in Shaw Hill Road but we believe it was a targeted attack and we are fast-tracking enquiries as well as having an increased police presence in the area.
"We ask anyone with information or footage of what happened to contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101 quoting log 3514 of April 30. Information can also be given to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
A University Hospitals Birmingham spokesperson added: "The department was locked down for a short while to ensure staff and patient safety. We will support West Midlands Police with any enquiries."
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