Edinburgh gun death:Willowbrae residents speak out

WITNESSES at the scene of the Willowbrae shooting have described hearing a man moaning in pain after two gunshots were fired – before two more blasts silenced him.

Residents spoke of hearing up to six shots being fired during the bloody attack, which resulted in the death of 25-year-old Mohammed Abdi.

A Volkswagen Sharan people carrier, which had crashed into railings on Abercorn Crescent, was attacked by men with baseball bats and clubs.

Another witness described police officers and paramedics frantically treating Abdi as he lay on the street before he was rushed away by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

It was revealed that officers visited homes close to the shooting in its aftermath to ask people to check for bulletholes in their windows and spent

cartridges in their gardens.

Abdi was found lying fatally wounded next to the smashed-up people carrier on Abercorn Crescent at around 1am on Sunday after a chase which may have involved three cars.

It’s now thought that three or four men were in the car that was attacked.

Two are thought to have escaped by hiding in bushes at Abercorn Sports Club. The tennis courts remained taped off today as forensic teams combed the area.

Police officers who raced to the scene found another man who was bleeding in a garden in nearby Paisley Crescent. It’s understood he was stabbed.

A resident, who asked not to be named, watched the carnage unfold from his top-floor flat. He said: “My wife and I had just gone to bed when we were woken by a lot of commotion. We were aware of a crash then other noises.

“Then I heard two or three bangs, which I think were gunshots.

“I got to our window, which looks right down Abercorn Crescent. A Volkswagen Sharan had crashed through the railings, knocking them down, before hitting a tree. The headlights and hazard lights were still on. The airbags had deployed but I’m not sure if anyone was inside at that point.

“Three or four men with what looked like baseball bats and clubs were smashing the car’s side windows.