'My heart goes out to his family': South Yorkshire leaders issue statements as boy, 16, fighting for life

Just after 5pm yesterday (November 24), police were called to reports of a shooting on London Road.

An air ambulance was deployed and emergency services packed out the busy street.

A boy, 16, was rushed to hospital with his family at his bedside as he fights for his life.

And while city residents are sending their love to the family of the teenager, the incident has raised concerns for many who continue to worry about the safety of their children in the city.

“First and foremost, my heart goes out to the family of the young lad,” South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, told The Star.

“I can’t say too much about it, but clearly a tragic, horrible thing for any family to have to go through and he’s currently fighting for his life and we send our love and thoughts to him and his family.

“Whenever anybody hears about this sort of situation it makes them worry for their own family - I certainly look at these incidents and think about my family and how it might impact on them.

“But the truth is these incidents are incredibly rare. They obviously and for good reason lead to people like you asking people like me questions about these incidents when they do happen because they’re high profile and they’re horrible. So of course, we need to talk about them when they do happen, but they are thankfully incredibly rare in our region.

“The homicide rate, in particular the use of guns, is going down. We know that. The knife crime rate is going down. We know that.

“It is worth recognising for all those people that are worried that these are very rare things that happen in our city and in our region - people shouldn’t be unduly worried about those incidents happening to them or their family.”

Meanwhile, Sheffield Central MP Abtisam Mohammed - whose constituency covers London Road - says that she and officers will be meeting with locals to help respond to community concerns.

She described restoring public safety as a ‘top priority’ as she works to prevent future tragedies.

The MP said: “I am deeply shocked and saddened to learn of a 16-year-old boy being shot on London Road in our city. My thoughts are with him, his family and all those affected as they face what must be an unimaginably difficult time. I urge anyone with information to contact South Yorkshire Police and help bring clarity to this incident.

“Violence on our streets cannot be accepted, every young person in Sheffield should be safe and confident in their community. Restoring safety in our community is a top priority. I will continue to meet regularly with South Yorkshire Police, conducting walkabouts and holding one-to-one meetings with the Police and Crime Commissioner.

“Together, we’ll do everything we can to prevent further tragedies like this from happening.”