Father killed and woman critically injured in Wood Green shooting 'were just innocent bystanders', police confirm

 
Shooting: Police were called at 5.45pm (Picture: Matt Burgess/@mattburgess1)
Matt Burgess
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Police have confirmed they believe the man killed and woman critically injured in an apparent drive-by shooting in Wood Green last night were not the intended targets of the attack.

Father-of-two Erdogan Guzel, 42, was shot in the chest when a gunman pulled up outside his Bros Bakery shop on Lordship Lane and sprayed the street with machine gun fire.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at around 7pm and police have launched a murder inquiry.

An unnamed passing woman, 51, was also injured in the shooting and on Saturday was fighting for her life in hospital.

Friends of Mr Guzel previously said they believed he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

But on Saturday evening police confirmed both the victims, who didn't know each other, were "not the intended targets of the shooting" and likely just innocent bystanders.

Mihir Yurdakul, 35, who works at the Cozy Chicken shop just yards away from the where the gun assault took place, said he was sat with Mr Guzel when he was hit by a hail of gunfire.

Police at the scene of the shooting on Friday evening (Picture: PA)
PA

"We were sat outside the shop and they came with a car and a big gun," he told the Evening Standard.

"They just started shooting - they didn't care who was there. They were just shooting everywhere from a machine gun.

"Everyone was diving on the floor to save their lives, and then we found out our friend had been shot so we called police."

Asked to describe his friend, Mr Yurdakul said: "He was a good guy, a very good guy. He had a family and two kids, and he was working hard for his family."

Other friends also claimed Mr Guzel had not been the intended target of the shooting.

Imam Sumbul, a friend of Mr Guzel's cousin, said: "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bullet was not meant for him.

Clothes and medical items lay on the floor after emergency services attended the scene (Picture: PA)
PA

"There is a big Turkish community here, everyone uses each other's shops. As you can see, a lot of people here are interested in what happened and want to know what went on here tonight."

He said a similar incident happened at the end of June in which a gunman tried to open fire but failed to discharge his weapon before fleeing.

One eyewitness, who was in a fish and chip shop near the scene, said he saw the aftermath of the incident. He said: "I saw the woman and turned away. Then I heard the bang.

"She fell down on the floor. There was a child on a bike and he was lying on the floor as well."

A post mortem confirmed Mr Guzel died from gunshot wounds to the chest, Scotland Yard said.

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