An 11-year-old boy has been struck in the face by a stray shotgun pellet as he was caught up in an apparent gang shooting in north-east London that also left a man in a critical condition.
The boy, who was with his parents, had the pellet removed in hospital after the incident in Redbridge at 4.30pm on Monday, the Metropolitan police said.
Detectives from the Met’s gang violence squad do not believe the boy and his parents were the intended target of the shooting. The child has since been discharged from hospital.
A 22-year-old man remains in a critical condition in an east London hospital with shotgun injuries. It is not believed the man and the boy were known to each other, police said.
DCI Simon Moring, from Trident and area crime command, which tackles gang violence, said: “This shooting has left a man in a critical condition and endangered an innocent child.
“We would appeal to anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to contact police immediately. Your call will be treated in complete confidence.”
There have been no arrests and there are no descriptions of the suspects, the police said.
