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04/10/03 - Two hunted after
man is gunned down
Birmingham Post
Police last night were hunting two gunmen who
murdered a man in a hail of automatic fire in a picturesque
market town.
The white men pulled up in a van before firing a salvo
of bullets at two men, also white, in Brewery Road, Hoddesdon,
Herts, witnesses said.
The other victim suffered minor injuries during yesterday
morning' s attack, with the suspects' van being later
found burned out in the Lampits area of the town. Police,
who were called to the scene at 9.20am, said the survivor
of the ambush was nowhelping them with their inquiries.
A bullet-scarred blue Peugeot sports car, which had
all its windows shot out in the attack, was taken from
the scene at 4.42pm.
The latest shooting follows the killing of a mother
who was gunned down while trying to protect her daughter
from armed robbers.
Marian Bates, aged 64, was shot in the chest after
she jumped in front of daughter Xanthe when a robber
produced a handgun during a raid on a shop in Arnold,
Nottingham, on Tuesday.
Hoddesdon is a prosperous market town near Stevenage.
Its main square, which is fronted by mainly Tudor-style
buildings, hosts an outdoor market on Wednesdays and
Fridays.
Market trader Steve Eaves, aged 45, from Ware, said
he heard the shooting about 100 yards from his fruit
and veg stall.
Mr Eaves said between six and ten shots were fired
from an automatic weapon and a white van was seen driving
from the scene.
The victims were thought to have visited Physical Limit
gym in Brewery Road.
Police cordoned off the driveway to the gym and the
entrance to the Faces nightclub opposite.
Hertfordshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Jerry
Alford confirmed that the dead man was a 32-year-old
from Stevenage, Herts.
The injured man was from London.
Mr Alford confirmed that police had recovered the automatic
weapon believed to have been used in the shooting but
he could not say exactly where the weapon was found
or what type it was.
He added that the getaway vehicle, which was found
burning in the Lampits area of the town, was ditched
and the two men then made off in a silver saloon car.
Mr Alford said: 'Our initial inquiries suggest this
was a targeted attack and there is nothing to suggest
the public is at risk.'
Mr Alford said a drugs-related motive was just 'one
of many theories' police were considering at this stage.
Asked if the attack could have been a contract killing,
Mr Alford said it was 'far too early to speculate'.
Mr Alford urged the public in Hoddesdon not to panic
and said the shooting was 'a very, very unusual incident'
for the area.
In August, 2000, two armed robbers convicted of murdering
a Sicilian millionaire's wife while stealing her Rolex
watch in Hoddesdon were sentenced to eight life terms
in jail. |
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