Policeman shot 'by gunman on the run after murder'

A gunman who allegedly attacked his ex-wife and killed her new boyfriend days after leaving prison is believed to have shot a policeman in an "unprovoked" attack.

Published: 6:15AM BST 04 Jul 2010



The uniformed officer was approached by an armed man and suffered a gunshot wound, in East Denton, Newcastle, at around 12.45am. Police fear he may be targeting them because of a "grudge".

The policeman is currently being treated in hospital where his condition is described as ''serious'' but is not thought to be life-threatening.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: ''Police strongly believe that this shooting is linked to the incident in Gateshead in the early hours of Saturday morning during which a man was killed and a woman seriously injured.''

Police said the uniformed motor patrol officer was carrying out a "static patrol" on a roundabout joining the A1 and A69 when he was attacked.

He suffered a gun shot wound and was taken to Newcastle General Hospital.

Temporary Chief Constable Sue Sim said: "This was an unprovoked attack on a Northumbria police officer as he carried out his duty.

"My thoughts are with his family and colleagues at this time.

"We strongly believe that this was carried out by the same man who shot two people in Gateshead early yesterday morning.

"Raoul Thomas Moat is a wanted man. He is very dangerous and shouldn't be approached by a member of the public."

Police said they were pursuing several lines of inquiry and said all available resources and tactics were being used.

Early yesterday morning a woman, named locally as Samantha Stobbart, was injured when a shot was fired through her living room window.

Moments later her partner left the house only to be struck down around 50 metres from the front door.

Northumbria Police were today searching for Moat, from Newcastle, who was released from Durham prison on Thursday after serving a sentence for assault.

The 37-year-old – reportedly a former nightclub bouncer – is understood to have had a previous relationship with Miss Stobbart.

Detectives yesterday suggested the attack was motivated by a grudge against the couple.

But today a spokesman said: "It is now believed that his grudge at the moment is with the police."

The pair, who have not been officially named, were targeted in the early hours of yesterday morning, at around 2.40am.

Mary Hall, 63, a neighbour living close to the scene, said she saw the gunman fire at the young woman through the living room window.

Mrs Hall said a woman in the house was screaming, apparently on the phone to the police. She believed this was the woman's mother.

"The man shot through the window and shot the girl. I saw a figure of a man with a handgun," she told the Northern Echo.

"It's all very shocking as there are a lot of old age pensioners around here and you don't expect this to happen."

Another local resident, who did not wish to be named, said: "I didn't see it happen but I heard a few loud bangs that must have been gun shots.

"There was a police helicopter hovering around for a long time.

"It's a really quiet area, it's residential you know, so it's a total shock."

Emergency services called to the scene discovered the man, understood to be Miss Stobbart's current partner, lying on a grassy area opposite the house in Scafell, Birtley, near Gateshead.

He is believed to have been in his late 20s or early 30s. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Det Supt Steve Howes, who is leading the investigation, said of yesterday's shootings: "I would like to stress that this is not a random attack and that the people involved are all known to each other.

"We believe the offender targeted his victims because of a grudge he held against them."

A large number of officers, including specialist firearms officers, were working on the case.

The man's precise cause of death has yet to be established but police said the couple suffered injuries "believed to be consistent with a gunshot wound".

A post-mortem examination on the dead man was taking place.

Miss Stobbart's relatives told The Sunday Telegraph the 22-year-old had been in an on-off relationship with Moat for six years.

And they said the trainee hairdresser, who has a three-year-old daughter Chanel, was shot twice.

She is now in a critical condition in hospital where she was said to be under armed police guard.

Her half-sister Kelly Stobbart told the News of the World that family members were warned she may not survive.

"We don't think she'll make it," the 27-year-old said. "She's been shot in the chest and stomach, her body's been ripped apart.

"She is on a life-support machine and is critical. The hospital have told us to expect the worst."

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7870875/Policeman-shot-by-gunman-on-the-run-after-murder.html