A woman in her 50s was gunned down on her doorstep by a pair of motorcyclists who were carrying an assault rifle, a witness reports. Neighbours have expressed their shock as the "sweet old lady" was shot in the back and her house sprayed with bullets during the evening drive by.
The woman is in a non-life threatening condition in hospital following Friday's brazen shooting in Brockley, South East London. MyLondon reports that those who saw the shooting believe the lady wasn't the intended target of the shooters.
Police were called to Coston Walk at about 8.10pm on July 15, where they found the woman with suspected firearm wounds. An eyewitness said two men on motorbikes approached the Lewisham property and then shot "5 or 6 bullets", hitting the woman twice in the back.
The witness said: "I was on my phone outside and saw two men on motorbikes coming down the path and they stopped in front of the house and started shooting. They stopped at the door of the house and started shooting a lot of bullets - about 5 or 6.
"It looked like a machine gun. I thought, 'wow that's a big gun'. It's crazy."
Residents are reeling following the shooting of the woman, who neighbours describe as a pillar of the community. The injured woman was praised as being an "aunty" figure for those living in and around Coston Walk.
One of the woman's friends said: "She's my neighbour, I was talking to her yesterday. I saw her message on Facebook, she's in hospital, she doesn't know when she'll be released, she got shot twice in the back in her left side.
"Her house, a lot of people hang around there so I don't think she's the intended target because nobody would shoot a sweet old lady. There's always a lot of boys there, whoever did it saw someone outside their house and unfortunately she got shot."
The shooting has scared many in the area with the woman's neighbour imagining that it "could be me" or "one of my sons". On top of the recent shooting, locals have also told MyLondon that there has been a spate of violence in the area with a shooting and stabbing in the last few weeks.
The stabbing occurred in the same street while the shooting happened in Turnham Road just south of Brockley Station in May. Continuing, the injured lady's neighbour said: "It's really crazy to be honest. This is the second shooting within [two months] around Brockley, it's actually crazy.
"You just have to be wary, I've got my nephews, I feel sorry for them when they go out. They might be caught up in it. I had a few phone calls asking what happened. I just put my kids to bed and chilled off. I heard they left off a couple of shots there."
He said he fears for his own family, adding: "I could have been there with my son walking past there and got hit in the crossfire. When it's on your doorstep it hits home. I heard they came on a bike, saw the people, drove off and came back. Unfortunately she was in the crossfire. She's like an aunty to everyone, everyone just goes there [to her house]."
No arrests have been made yet and police enquiries are ongoing. A Met Police spokesperson said: "Police were called to Coston Walk, SE4, at 20.10hrs, on Friday, 15 July, to reports of a shooting.
"Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service (LAS). The air ambulance was also called to the scene. A woman in her 50s was found with wounds to her back, believed to be caused by a firearm.
"She was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Her injuries have been assessed as not life threatening. A crime scene is in place. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue."
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