A masked gunman remained at large last night after shooting four men in Lockwood.
He was the target of a major police hunt after walking into a flat early yesterday and shooting the men with a shotgun – seriously injuring one of them.
Armed police were called to the basement flat in St Stephens Road, Lockwood, at 2.30am yesterday after a man fired his shotgun twice before fleeing the scene.
Four male occupants aged 26, 18, 25 and 24 were discovered with shotgun injuries to their legs.
The 24-year-old received a serious leg injury and was taken to hospital for surgery.
Armed officers were later seen at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
One of the other victims was given medical treatment before he and the other two were arrested on suspicion of being involved in supply of drugs and were questioned and remanded in custody.
Det Supt Scott Wood, of West Yorkshire’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), said: “It does appear from our early investigations that this was an isolated and targeted attack.
“We believe a masked man entered the property and discharged a shotgun twice before making away.
“It is therefore imperative that we find this individual and anyone else involved.”
For much of yesterday, forensic officers in white suits could be seen scouring the scene off Lockwood Road and the property remained cordoned off with police tape.
A white plastic sheet draped across the entrance to the basement flat was weighted down with stones and plant pots to preserve the scene below.
Neighbours told how they woke when they heard possible gunshots but many presumed they had been mistaken and were surprised to find their street flooded with police vehicles and cordoned off.
A woman who lives in an upstairs flat at the same building as the shootings said she had locked herself in her room when she heard shotgun blasts.
She said: “I thought we were being broken into at first.
“I said to my boyfriend, ‘I think I just heard shots’.
“We were quite scared.
“I couldn’t see anything out the window but we hid in our room.”
The woman said the occupant of the flat had only moved in two days earlier.
In a neighbouring upstairs flat a group of students from Lithuania were drinking and listening to music when they heard the gunshots.
Huddersfield University student Haroldas Venckevicius said: “I heard two shots and at first I thought it was a joke or something until we heard the police helicopter and looked outside.”
A man in his 50s who lives in a nearby first floor flat said: “I heard a couple of loud bangs in the middle of the night.
“I just thought it was a car back firing. I had a look out of the window and couldn’t see anything.
“The police came and knocked on my door today and said four men had been shot.
“I am really shocked. I have lived here eight years and I’ve never known things to be this bad around here.”
Det Supt Wood added: “I would call on anyone who witnessed the incident or has seen any suspicious behaviour around this address prior to the incident to come forward immediately.
“Neighbourhood Policing Team officers are patrolling the area, speaking to residents about any concerns they may have.
“I would urge anyone with information to call us using the non emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
