Police have begun a murder investigation after a man was killed and a woman critically injured in a double shooting on a busy London high street.
The man was named locally as Erdogan Guzel, a 42-year-old father-of-two, while an unnamed woman was also caught up in the attack in Wood Green on Friday.
It is understood the shooting occurred at about 5.45pm outside the Bros Bakery, in Lordship Lane, where Guzel would often sit. Cordons and diversions were put in place as forensic officers worked at the scene.
Imam Sumbul, a family friend, said Guzel was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“The bullet was not meant for him,” he said. “There is a big Turkish community here, everyone uses each other’s shops. As you can see, a lot of people here are interested in what happened and want to know what went on here. He was a good guy.”
Sumbul said Guzel had two teenage children who were on holiday in Turkey. He said a similar incident happened in the area at the end of June, when a gunman tried to open fire but failed to discharge his weapon before fleeing.
One witness, who was in a nearby fish and chip shop, said he saw the aftermath of the shooting. “I saw the woman and turned away. Then I heard the bang. She fell down on the floor. There was a child on a bike and he was lying on the floor as well,” he said.
Haydar Alma, a business owner, told ITV News he believed the victims were shot from inside a car. “I was in the shop working and I heard the gun, like an automatic. I looked outside and I saw the car and the window open and somebody shooting. After they had gone I went outside and I saw the woman. Somebody called an ambulance.”
Alma said passersby rushed to help the victims, and he was asked to get tissues to try to stop the bleeding while they waited for the emergency services. “The ambulance took the woman and did something for the man here. I asked the policeman what had happened and he said he had died.”
Police said Guzel died at the scene at around 7pm. The woman is in a critical but stable condition at an east London hospital.
No arrests have been made.
