A community is in shock after a man believed to be 25 was found dead outside the Landor Pub in Clapham North, London, following reports of gunshots. The incident occurred on Monday night near the junction of Willington Road and Landor Road.
Witnesses report multiple bangs
Residents reported hearing multiple loud bangs around 10pm. One local said: "It was shortly after 10pm and I heard lots of sirens, and I heard bangs - I think it was five or something. And then I said 'do you think they were gunshots?'"
Another resident described the aftermath: "I was walking up Landor Road to the shop, I heard two loud bangs coming from Willington Road. The couple in front of me looked a bit startled and he held her back. I thought, 'It's fine you hear stuff in London all the time.'"
Forensic teams at the scene
Specialist forensics teams are scouring the area for evidence, and police have visited nearby homes with Ring doorbells. A cordon remains in place on Willington Road, which was largely empty this morning.
The same resident added: "I walked around them and I looked up Willington Road and there's a man running away and he's shouted something twice, but I don't know what. He ran around the corner [towards Clapham North] and I saw the victim lying on the floor looking up and then everyone realised what happened and I ran off, people ran into the shop. I was shaken."
Community reaction
Pastor Lorraine, a London-based anti-knife crime activist, said: "The scenes of body tents, blood and forensic evidence in our communities are horrifying and deeply traumatising. In our inner-city communities, where residents and families live so closely together, the impact of such violence reaches far beyond the immediate crime scene."
She added: "It is the school summer holidays, and many children who have not travelled away will be waking up and looking out of their windows to this horrific scene. No child should have to witness this. It is heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends who are grieving, traumatised and in complete shock right now. Another family has been plunged into unimaginable pain, and another community has been left trying to process the devastation."
The Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.
