A shopkeeper has recalled the dramatic moment when a man with a stab wound walked into his shop looking for help. Police were called to Trent Road in Sneinton shortly after 2.45pm on Saturday (April 2) after a man was stabbed.
The victim, a man in his 20s, was taken to hospital and his injury is not currently believed to be life-threatening or life-altering. Police subsequently cordoned off the nearby Lifestyle Express convenience shop, at the junction of Trent Road and Sneinton Boulevard, where the shop manager said the stabbed man came in looking for help.
Khalid Mahmood, who manages Lifestyle Express, said he had been "very shocked" as the scene unfolded outside of his shop. "A man had been stabbed and came into the shop looking for help - you could see he was holding his back," said Mr Mahmood.
"I was very shocked, of course, as nothing like this has happened before. It was quite an experience. There was no problem in here. Thankfully he did not look too badly hurt.
"Other people had called the police and ambulance. He came at around 2.30pm and they arrived right afterwards, 15 minutes later. For that 15 minutes he was outside the shop next to the bin with some other people."
Mr Mahmood explained the shop was cordoned off by police so detectives could check his CCTV shortly after the incident. He added he was able to reopen the shop at around 5.30pm. Neighbours living across from the shop, meanwhile, were surprised to hear what happened.
Buka Demba, 60, who had just got back to his house in Sneinton Boulevard as the shop was reopened, said: "That is very sad news. Sneinton does not have a reputation for being like that, this is not common. It is very surprising to me. I would not say I am scared but it is not what you want near where you live."
Ellie McGlade, 23, and Julia Goodwin, 22, who also live in Sneinton Boulevard, said they surprised at the severity of the incident. Ms McGlade said: "It is shocking because it is a stabbing but the police are here quite a lot. But a stabbing is a lot worse. I hope that he is OK."
Ms Goodwin added: "You do see a lot of police here but I don't think we've had anything like this before. At least he got help." Police are continuing with their enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
Detective Inspector Danny Johnstone, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Our investigation remains at an early stage and we are working hard to understand what happened during this isolated incident. We know incidents of this nature cause a great deal of concern.
"However I would like to reassure the community that this incident is being treated seriously. We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry, including checking CCTV footage, and we have increased patrols in the area to provide reassurance to the public while we carry on with our work.
"To assist us with our investigation, we are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, or the moments before or after it, to please get in touch with us as soon as possible. We would also like to hear from anyone who was in the area and who may have captured mobile phone or dash-cam footage relating to what happened.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 361 of April 2. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
