'Sheer luck' bystanders not injured during Glasgow shooting

Detectives probing the attempted murder of a man in a targeted shooting have said it is down to sheer luck that no innocent bystanders were injured during the incident.

Officers have also moved to reassure locals in the Shettleston area of Glasgow over the inquiry after finding a number of people were unwilling to co-operate with police, possibly over fears about retribution.

Two masked gunmen forced their way into a flat in Wellshot Road on Saturday evening, where they gunned down a 42-year-old man inside the property.

The pair fled in a small dark car following the attack at around 8.10pm, which police have described as a "despicable act of violence".

The victim was taken by ambulance to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment to serious injuries.

The man was initially in a critical condition but staff now say he is in a serious but stable state.

Police have been checking CCTV and speaking to local residents to try to identify who was responsible for the shooting.

It has been reported that the latest incident was linked to a shooting in nearby Cuthelton Terrace last month, but detectives said they are not in a position to link the two events at this stage.

Detective Inspector John Morrison, the officer leading this investigation, said: "Yet again, a small community of Glasgow has had to endure another violent incident involving a firearm and again it is only by sheer luck that no innocent bystander has been injured or worse.

"Whilst the 42-year-old man was the intended target, this doesn't make it any less serious. This type of incident will not be tolerated and we are working tirelessly to identify the people responsible in addition to the motive behind it."

Urging people with information to speak to police, he continued: "However, the officers have been experiencing real challenges in obtaining information as a number of people they've attempted to speak to are not being co-operative with the police.

"This could be due to fear of retribution or some other reason. However, if anyone has any concerns about providing information to police it can be done so confidentially via Crimestoppers, you do not have to give your name when calling them.

"If you call the police with information, we do have mechanisms in place to protect you, so please do not hesitate to contact us.

"We know that there are people out there who have information that would assist with our inquiry, and we would urge them to pass on that information."

Chief Inspector Patrick Murphy, the area commander for Glasgow East, said: "I would like to reassure the residents of Shettleston that we have specialist officers deployed to this inquiry in order to identify those responsible for this attack.

"Residents will see increased activity in the area and additional patrols have been deployed to reassure the public. I would ask anyone who has any concerns or information to contact any of those officers.

"This level of criminality and violence will not be tolerated in our communities."

Anyone with information can contact police on the 101 number, while Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 11