A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder a week after a shooting in Woolwich left another man fighting for his life.
The 48-year-old was arrested on Thursday 29 October and remains in custody. He is also being held on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
The arrest follows a shooting on Frances Street on the evening of Thursday 22 October. Police were called at 8.09pm after reports of gunshots, and found a 32-year-old man inside a parked car with a gunshot wound.
Officers gave first aid at the scene until paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance arrived. The man was taken to an east London hospital with life-threatening injuries, and he remains in a critical condition.
Detectives believe the suspect fled the scene in a dark-coloured saloon car heading towards Woolwich Church Street.
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, of the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “An arrest has been made, but our investigation remains ongoing into this senseless act of violence that has left a man fighting for his life.”
He added: “I would urge anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward. Any information provided will be treated in confidence.”
A week of waiting for answers
The arrest comes seven days after the shooting, during which the victim’s condition has remained critical. Police confirmed two days after the incident that the man was still fighting for life, and today’s update confirms that has not changed.
That timeline matters because it shows how long the investigation has been running without a breakthrough in public: from the first emergency call on Frances Street last Thursday, through the weekend, to the arrest announced today.
An arrest on suspicion is not a charge. It means detectives have detained the man while they continue their enquiries, and no decision has yet been announced on whether he will face any charge. Police have not named the arrested man, and the victim has not been publicly identified either.
Officers are still appealing for witnesses. Anyone who was in the Frances Street area on the evening of 22 October, or who saw a dark-coloured saloon car heading towards Woolwich Church Street, is asked to call police on 101 quoting CAD 6520/22OCT. Information can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The shooting is the latest serious violent incident in the area to prompt a police appeal in recent weeks. London Streets previously reported on the victim’s critical condition two days after the shooting, and on the first hours of the investigation on Frances Street. Detectives say their investigation remains ongoing, and further updates are expected as it develops.
What happens next
With a suspect in custody, the immediate question is what detectives do next. An arrest on suspicion allows officers to interview the detained man and to carry out further enquiries while he remains in custody, but it is not itself a finding of guilt. Prosecutors will decide whether any charge should follow, based on the evidence gathered, and police have given no indication yet of when that decision will be made.
For the victim’s family, the wait continues. He has now spent a week in hospital since the shooting, and police have described his injuries as life-threatening throughout. No update on any change in his condition has been given beyond confirmation that he remains critical.
The case also underlines how quickly a local incident can become a week-long investigation. What began as a single emergency call on a Woolwich street last Thursday has involved armed response officers, paramedics, air ambulance crews, and now the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, which handles the most serious violent crime in the capital.
Separately, police in east London are continuing to investigate two stabbings in Plaistow earlier this week, in which two men were taken to major trauma centres.
