Policeman shot and wounded during east London operation

The owner of the Kem Off Licence on Haggerston Road, Korbay Kaner, told reporters police had been raiding a property in Scriven Street.

Mr Kaner said he had heard a couple of shots, and one of his customers had seen what happened: “they were chasing a couple of people. One of them stopped, turned around and shot the police officer.”

“I think he was shot on his shoulder, they were covering his shoulder with bandages.”

A local pharmacist who did not want to be named said: “The shot was a muffled sound, it could have been a misfiring of a car engine – but it was quickly obvious what it was. I instantly saw around seven to eight police cars.”

He added: “They have put the area on lockdown, cordoning it off with police tape, and I can hear helicopters in the sky.

“They were an armed response unit, there were officers who had big guns on them. There must have been some sort of operation going on.”

Local business owner David Salvester described how he had been inside the house when he heard yelling: “we went outside and there was a bunch of officers in green with their dogs.

“They had helmets and machine guns, I think.”

He said “the whole road was filled with undercover police” adding that when the shots went off “they all burst out of their cars”.

Local newsagent Nilesh Kalawadia said that following the shooting, which happened in the middle of Haggerston Road, some 50-60 police officers arrived in the area.

The injured officer was airlifted to a nearby hospital.

We are pleased to say the police officer involved in the firearms incident in #Haggerston #Hackney is in a stable condition in hospital

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) October 15, 2015