Bishopbriggs shooting victim ‘specifically targeted’

A MAN shot near a primary school was known to police and had been “specifically targeted” by his attacker.

Forensics officers prepare to collect evidence at Dornoch Place, Bishopriggs, yesterday. Picture: Hemedia

Armed response teams were sent to Dornoch Place in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire, at about 3.10pm on Thursday.

Police Scotland said the gunman approached the 33-year-old victim, shot him and then ran off towards Ronaldsay Drive. The victim is being treated in hospital and no-one else was ­injured.

The victim was shot close to St Helen’s Primary School and Bishopbriggs Academy, and took place as pupils left for the day.

The victim had been in the area to collect his daughter from the primary school but officers said no-one from either school was involved in the incident.

The suspect is in his mid 40s, about 6ft and of heavy build. He was wearing a yellow high-visibility jacket with the hood pulled up and was carrying a silver hand gun. A major incident room has been set up at Kirkintilloch police office and detectives said they are “following a number of lines of inquiry”.

Detective inspector Stephen Grant said the suspect is thought to have got into a Volkswagen Golf with a FR12 TYB registration plate that was abandoned and set on fire in Wood Lane in the town.

Mr Grant added: “We suspect that he had an accomplice waiting in the car to drive him from the location of the shooting. The remains of the car will be subject to forensic examination.

“We have established that the vehicle was stolen in March of this year from north Glasgow, so it has potentially been within the area of Glasgow for a considerable amount of time bearing that registration plate.

“The victim was known to police before the attack and we are confident from the enquiries we have made that this was an isolated attack, that the victim was specifically targeted and that no other member of the public was targeted at that time.”

Police have allocated specially-trained officers to aid any children who may have witnessed the attack, including the daughter of the victim.

Chief inspector Craig Smith said: “We are aware there were a number of children that may have witnessed the incident and we are keen to see that those children are supported and engage with us, East Dunbartonshire Council, the education authorities and social work department to help them and their families before they go back to school on Tuesday morning.

“Understandably, people in the local area have expressed concerns about the nature of the attack and we will have additional police officers in the area accompanied by community officers from East Dunbartonshire Council. All officers will be in high visibility uniform and we will continue with this increased presence for the foreseeable future.” One woman who lives in the residential area said that she heard three bangs which she believed were gunshots.

Several streets in the area were cordoned off, and access to the primary school was closed.

Police said extra patrols were being made in the neighbourhood to reassure the public.