Gunshots incident: Real risk that innocent members of the Doncaster public could get caught up with tragic consequences

Two men aged 25 and 29 were arrested yesterday (19 October) on suspicion of firearms offences following a discharge in Shaw Road, Edlington, at around 11.30pm on Tuesday 17 October.

It is believed gunshots were fired at a property in the street as part of a targeted attack. Nobody is thought to have been injured but damage consistent with a firearms discharge was caused to the property.

Further damage was caused to a vehicle on a driveway. There has been an increased presence of armed officers in the Shaw Road area to reassure residents.

The two men who were arrested have since been released on police bail and a fresh appeal for information is now being issued directly to members of the community.

Doncaster District Commander Chief Superintendent Ian Proffitt said: "The believed targets of this firearms discharge have unfortunately shown a lack of cooperation when it comes to helping our officers progress with this investigation.

"This highlights how important it is for local people to tell us what they know. While we believe this to be a targeted attack, sadly there is always a real risk that innocent members of the public could get caught up in this with utterly tragic consequences.

"Gunshots being fired in a small residential street is simply unacceptable. We will not tolerate firearms offences of any kind. While we are working hard to locate those responsible, we need information from local people to be able to secure justice for these types of crimes.

"That is why we are now issuing a direct and fresh appeal to members of the Edlington community, to get in touch with us with any information you might have. Without this information, offenders will remain at large and these crimes will continue to happen time and time again.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries reported to us this time. However, on the next occasion we might be telling a very different story."

High-visibility police patrols will continue in the Shaw Road area into this weekend to reassure residents. Anyone with concerns is still encouraged to stop officers and speak to them.

If you have any information about this incident, please call 101 quoting incident number 1130 of 17 October. If you have CCTV / video doorbell footage or dashcam, you can email this to [email protected] quoting the same incident number in the email subject line.

If you would prefer not to speak to police or provide your personal details, you can pass information in confidence to independent charity Crimestoppers via their UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or by completing an online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. You would remain 100 per cent anonymous.