Police hunt gunman who shot at pub (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Police hunt gunman who shot at pub in Middlesbrough estate
4:40pm Friday 1st February 2013 in News
By Graeme Hetherington
POLICE are hunting a gunman who targeted a pub in the middle of a housing estate in the early hours of this morning (Friday, February 1).
Shots are believed to have been fired at the Park End Public House in Middlesbrough at around 4am but police were not alerted to the incident until 8.30am this morning.
Two windows were damaged during the attack which the officers say was caused when a weapon was fired at the pub on Penistone Road, Park End.
No one was hurt or injured during the incident and the full circumstances including the motive are still being investigated by detectives.
A police cordon is in place around the pub and will remain there while the investigation continues.
Forensic officers spent the day at the scene examining the building and the area surrounding the pub.
However, officers are keen to stress that this is an isolated and extremely rare occurrence in the force area and are urging any witnesses to come forward.
Detective Inspector Matt Murphy-King (CORR) said: “Incidents of this nature are rare across Cleveland and we are committed to finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.
“We currently have forensic and trained search officers conducting an examination of the scene and a team of detectives focusing on the investigation.
“I want to reassure the local community that we are taking this incident extremely seriously and that there will be an increased police presence in their area, including extra patrols.
“I would urge anyone with information regarding the incident to contact us, whether they have seen or heard anything and no matter how trivial they may feel the information is. A small piece of information could be key in an investigation such as this.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Middlesbrough CID on the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
