Armed police rush to McDonald’s after ‘gunman opened fire’ in drive-thru
Police have been called to a McDonald’s following reports of a shooting in the drive-thru.
Armed officers from Merseyside Police could be seen rushing to the fast-food restaurant in Croft Retain Park, Bromborough, the Wirral, around 5.30pm this evening. A spokesperson for the force said a man, 21, was shot in the leg.
The victim had been sitting in the passenger seat of a dark coloured car when the gunman fired multiple shots. The shooter then fled the scene in the direction of a nearby Asda and emergency services were called to the scene.
It is thought the car then sped away from the drive-thru and the victim was taken to hospital. Bystanders at the scene said the driver was being passed a number of bags from the drive thru window when the attack happened.
The gunman has been described as an Asian male, around 5ft 8in tall, with medium build and a beard. He was wearing a black hooded jacket at the time of the incident and his whereabouts are currently uknown.
Witnesses were left shaken by the shooting, with one woman filming the scene immediately after on her Snapchat. She told how a man had entered the drive-thru queue on foot and shot someone in a black car twice, adding that she was now ‘absolutely shaking’.
A large police presence still remains at the McDonald’s and the area is now closed off, with a cordon surrounding the premises. Officers are carrying out CCTV, witness and forensic enquiries.
Detective Inspector Paul Parry has now issued an appeal to the public to come forward if they have any information about the shooting.
He said: ‘We are in the very early stages of our investigation, so I would ask anyone who was in the area this afternoon and has information to please get in touch as soon as possible, so we can establish the exact circumstances.
‘I understand the alarm this incident will cause, as it happened in broad daylight in a busy area with a number of people around, but rest assured we are doing all we can to locate the person responsible and patrols will remain in the area to provide reassurance and gather information.
‘If you witnessed the incident, or have any CCTV, dashcam footage or information, please let us know, as it could prove vital to the investigation. Gun crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside and we will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those involved in serious and organised crime.’
Anyone with information can contact the police directly via @MerPolCC, or by calling 101 and quoting reference 20000355196.
Calls can also be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.