Dog and owner are injured in 'gang shooting'

A DOG was recovering in an animal hospital today after being shot with its owner in Clapham in a suspected gangland attack.

A 29-year-old man was taken to hospital suffering from a gunshot injury to the leg and later released. A Staffordshire bull terrier which was found at the scene had also been shot in the leg and was taken to the Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria.

The dog was due to have an operation on its shattered leg today. Nurses at the hospital said it was the first time they had encountered a dog suffering a gunshot wound.

Police appealed for witnesses to the shooting outside Mandeville House in Worsopp Drive, Clapham, just before midnight last night.

The shooting is being investigated by detectives from Operation Trident, the squad which tackles gun crime in the black community.