A witness has spoken of hearing screams and two gunshots after a late-night shooting left a man fighting for his life.

Police were called to High Street, Wanstead, at 12.35am and the 30-year-old man was taken to hospital by air ambulance.

It is believed the man, who is in a critical condition, was shot in the chest in Draycot Road, before driving to High Street, Wanstead, and coming to a stop.

High Street was closed until this morning but has since re-opened.

 

East London and West Essex Guardian Series: Wanstead High Street

High Street, Wanstead was closed until this morning.

 

The Guardian spoke to people living in Draycot Road, which is still cordoned off by police and the scene is littered with broken glass.

A 55-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she heard screaming and two gunshots at around 12.30am.

She said: “I heard a man scream ‘help me’ very loud and then two gunshots.

“I flicked the curtains and saw a big white van, a silver car and a black car driving past.

“This is unusual because you would not usually see cars driving by at this hour.

“It could have been drug-related but I don’t know, there have always been issues with drugs on this road.”

 

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Glass at the scene in Draycot Road, Wanstead.

 

Dharmendra Patel, who found out about the incident in the morning, said he had not experienced anything like it since he had moved to the road around 18 years ago.

The 53-year-old said: “I can’t believe it as this is a quiet, sleepy road and we have not been affected by crime before.

“I do notice teenagers doing drugs in the dead end of the road some nights and I think we do need more lighting there, especially in the winter months.

Residents said the last shooting of this kind was around 30 years ago in nearby Felstead Road.

 

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Vehicle tracks leading away from the scene in Draycot Road across George Green

 

Sumal Teja, 63, was shocked to hear about the incident.

She said: “My daughter, who lives in Hermon Hill, phoned me this morning and told me what happened.

“It is so scary that this has happened on my road.

“Wanstead is a sleepy place to live but we have been burgled twice so, I am just speculating, it could have been burglary-related.”

Police officers from the Trident Gang Crime Command are investigating the incident.

Some tweets about the shooting: