A 24-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital after being shot in a residential street near Wembley station in the early hours of October 3.
The victim was found with gunshot wounds in Douglas Avenue, close to the station, after reports reached police in the early hours. Emergency services attended and the man was rushed to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.
A critical condition is the most serious category used by hospitals to describe a patient’s state, and indicates that their vital signs are unstable.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into the Wembley shooting. No arrests have been made and officers say their inquiries are continuing as they work to establish the full circumstances.
Detective Superintendent Tony Bellis, who is leading the investigation, acknowledged the alarm the shooting has caused. “I understand this has caused concern in the local community in Wembley,” he said. “There will be an increased police presence in the area in the coming days.”
Officers will maintain a highly visible presence around Douglas Avenue and neighbouring streets over the coming days, both to reassure the public and to encourage anyone with information to come forward. Residents who are worried are encouraged to approach officers on patrol.
The scene in Douglas Avenue
Douglas Avenue is a tree-lined residential street in the Wembley area, a short distance from Wembley station. The road is made up of terraced houses with cars parked along both sides — an ordinary suburban street of the kind found across north-west London.
Wembley sits in the London Borough of Brent in north-west London and is best known as the home of Wembley Stadium, the national stadium. The wider Wembley district regularly makes headlines. In one recent case, a Wembley landlord was fined £90,000 after 21 people were found living in a cockroach-infested house.
Previous gun violence in the area
It is not the first time the Wembley area has been shaken by gun violence. A mother recently spoke of her raw grief one year after her son was shot dead near Wembley Stadium, saying it “doesn’t feel like justice”.
Firearms incidents continue to keep detectives busy across the capital. In a separate case, a man has been charged over an alleged shooting in Green Lanes.
What the police appeal involves
Detectives are urging anyone who was in or around Douglas Avenue in the early hours of October 3 to get in touch — particularly anyone who saw or heard anything out of the ordinary.
Witness accounts can prove vital in the early stages of a firearms investigation, helping officers build a picture of what happened and who was involved. Inquiries of this kind typically include a forensic examination of the scene, a trawl of CCTV footage and house-to-house inquiries with local residents.
Appeals of this kind often focus on footage: detectives routinely ask residents and drivers to check any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell-camera recordings from around the time of an incident, as even a few seconds of video can provide a crucial lead.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, the national non-emergency number for contacting the police in the UK. Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, meaning those who come forward do not have to give their name.
What we know so far
In summary: a 24-year-old man is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in Douglas Avenue, near Wembley station, in the early hours of October 3. The Metropolitan Police investigation continues, no arrests have been made, and officers will maintain an increased presence in the area in the coming days while appealing for witnesses to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
