A man was left screaming for help last night after what eyewitnesses have described as a gun attack.
Police have said there is no 'evidence or indication' a man who was found seriously injured at the Huddersfield BMI Hospital at around midnight last night was the victim of a shooting.
However one eyewitness said she heard someone screaming 'they've got a gun and they want to kill me.
If it emerges guns were involved, it would be the 10th shooting in Huddersfield this year the Examiner has reported on.
The first shooting of the year happened on February 5 in Almondbury Bank. Police arrested two men, one of which appeared in court five days later. Darcy White, 24, of Cromarty Drive, Crosland Moor, was jailed for having a firearm with criminal intent after a trial.
The next incident happened on February 24, when a 19-year-old man was injured in a firearms incident in Nether Crescent, Rawthorpe. The victim was teenage drug dealer Marley Gharani who suffered life-threatening injuries - and was jailed for drugs offences.
On March 4 Raja's takeaway boss Adil Arshad Mahmood, 24, was shot three times trying to stop the gunman stealing the day's takings. Police raids led to two men being charged with attempted murder, but the charges were later dismissed. Adil spoke to the Examiner from his hospital bed, saying he remembered everything about the attack.
Then on March 17 police were called to Ballroyd Road in Fartown at 11.10pm where a gun was fired and a vehicle damaged during a disturbance.
On April 6 a gun was seized from a house in Hops Drive, Birkby, by police investigating threats being made in a domestic-related incident.
The next incident we reported on was on June 8 when a 32-year-old man suffered serious injuries to his thigh in what police believe was a targeted attack in Arnold Street , Birkby. An eyewitness said: "There was someone giving him first aid, applying pressure to the wound. I ensured the leg was raised and the bleeding was slowed down. It took about 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. He had lost a lot of blood." Later that day armed police raided a flat in Wheathouse Road. Muhammad Baig, 23, of Arnold Street, Birkby, was charged with attempted murder and appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court . His trial has been fixed for December 3.
Then on July 14 shots were fired at Huddersfield Carnival, resulting in what one onlooker described as 'two stampedes'. Three teenagers - including a 14-year-old boy - were arrested and released under investigation as it was revealed the shooting was thought to be linked to a gang feud.
On August 6, Blacker Road was cordoned off after shots were fired. Police said nobody was injured in the incident. A 34-year-old man was arrested and released under investigation, while two more people were arrested on August 8.
Two days later armed police were called to Ruskin Grove in Sheepridge to reports that shots had been fired in the direction of a child who was left “petrified. ” Police said nobody had been injured. A man was later arrested.
After the Blacker Road and Ruskin Grove incidents Chief Superintendent Julie Sykes, who is district commander of Kirklees Police, said: “I want to reassure residents that we treat all firearms incidents extremely seriously and that they will not be tolerated in Kirklees or West Yorkshire.
“I want to reassure the community that these incidents are our utmost priority and are being dealt with robustly. We have made arrests in connection with the incidents, both of which were targeted attacks and are continuing to work around the clock on the extensive investigations.
“West Yorkshire Police has a dedicated team of officers in the Firearms Prevent Team – a specialist unit that investigates firearms discharges and does all it can to bring the perpetrators responsible to justice. We take a proactive approach to removing firearms from the streets of Kirklees and West Yorkshire to ensure that the people who live, work and visit our towns and cities are safe."
