Everything we know so far about the shooting in London Road, Preston

Police have arrested a man after a firearm was discharged in Preston this morning.

The investigation is ongoing, yet the force understands the weapon to be a ‘blank firing weapon’ which was being confirmed with specialist officers.

No one was injured as a result of the firearm discharge and there is no threat to the wider public.

Where did it happen?

Police received a call at around 9am saying that there had been a gunshot heard around the London Road area of Preston.

Officers attended the scene and secured nearby roads cordoning off a 70m stretch of London Road around its junction with Salmon Street.

The cordons remained in place for several hours, with traffic disruption building in the New Hall Lane area and around the Capitol Centre. 

Cars were being forced to make u-turns, blocking up side streets and putting extra pressure on New Hall Lane.

What was the reaction of local people?

Local businesses were in complete shock in the incident with many stating how they had never seen or heard of anything like this happening in the area.

A manager of Falcon Store Newsagents said: “I have been here for more than ten years and something like this has never happened.

“I was out for a walk at the time of the incident but when I came back there was police tape everywhere!”

With the nature of the gunshot incident, many members of the public and local businesses wished to be kept anonymous due to caution and a sense of anxiety.

An employee of Barfia, a nearby perfume shop, said: “Business will definitely be affected for the rest of the day and if not a few more days.”

“I really hope this is a one off case because this area is normally quite pleasant.”

Why did it happen?

After attending the scene, police officers apprehended a male who is currently under arrest at Preston Police Station.

The blank firearm which was fired in the morning was recovered at the scene and was described as having a ‘minimised risk’ due to it being a blank weapon.

Superintendent Steve Rides delivered a press conference later on in the day highlighting more details on the case.

In it he said how the police are trying to understand who the suspect is and then they will be in a better position to understand why the incident occurred.

A motive is also unclear at the moment due to the lack of knowledge on the suspect’s identity.

The police also believe there are no links to wider groups or gang related crime.

What should the people of Preston think?

During the press conference, Supt Rides delivered a message of reassurance to local residents and businesses as well as the wider community of Preston.

He said: “This was a one off incident and we are confident that the risk to the community is no longer there.

“We are treating the case very seriously with a full investigation team working on it.

“Please be reassured that this is isolated, we have put increased police measures as a reassurance to the local community.

“All that we ask is that if you have heard or seen anything please contact us citing the log number 231 on the 27th of February when calling 101.”