'There is always something happening' - Shooting shocks troubled Sheffield suburb

The latest shooting in a Sheffield neighborhood which has seen an upsurge in violence in recent months was certainly shocking - but perhaps not surprising to those who live, work and shop in the area.
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On Abbeydale Road at around 1am on Friday morning, six gunshots rang out, disturbing residents from their sleep and thrusting the troubled area into the spotlight for the second time this week.

The police arrived within minutes to find evidence of multiple shotgun discharges and a badly injured dog, which later had to be put down.

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Two scenes of crime were put in place on the major road for much of the day, one centered on the Marmions cafe and another up the road at Venice Pizza, where the unfortunate animal was laid out.

Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Honeypot crafts.Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Honeypot crafts.
Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Honeypot crafts.

Evidence markers around firearms damage and pools of blood could be seen everywhere, as crime scene investigators sought to piece together the events of the previous night.

Crowds gathered outside the many businesses which line the vibrant, cosmopolitan street, swapping gossip and rumour, until a later police statement clarified what had taken place somewhat.

Were it not for the police vehicles and scenes of crime tape, you could be forgiven for forgetting the previous night’s events had ever happened, with the area as busy and bustling as it always is on a weekday morning.

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The eclectic mix of takeaways, corner shops, trendy cafes and fancy bakeries marks out Abbeydale Road as the meeting point of two contrasting parts of Sheffield, the more middle-class Nether Edge and the less salubrious Lowfield.

Abbeydale Road shooting: One of the cordons spanned the entire road.Abbeydale Road shooting: One of the cordons spanned the entire road.
Abbeydale Road shooting: One of the cordons spanned the entire road.

But everyone there on Friday morning was aware of the undercurrent of violence in the area, with two more shootings happening in nearby Machon Bank and Glen Road earlier this week on top of several other serious incidents in recent months.

One man who said he had worked there for decades said there was ‘always something happening’ in the area.

“Abbeydale Road has really gone downhill over the last 30 years - it is constant,” he said.

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A woman walking past described the perpetrators ‘idiots’ while two men talking outside the Okeh Cafe said that while it was ‘all drug-related’, increasingly innocent people - and now animals - were getting caught in the crossfire.

Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Venice Pizza.Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Venice Pizza.
Abbeydale Road shooting: The scene outside Venice Pizza.

Rob Wainwright, who owns the high-end patisserie Gilt, said he had never had any issues personally, but admitted he had heard his customers talking about problems with gangs.

“You do hear a lot about drugs in the area - but I have lived in London and I think it happens everywhere,” he said.

“There does seem to be a big difference between how it is during the day and what it is like at night though.”

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And on one of the back streets behind Abbeydale Road, a yellow evidence marker set down next to a large pool of blood, thought to be from the dog, had attracted the attention of one local man.

Abbeydale Road shooting: An evidence marker on the ground.Abbeydale Road shooting: An evidence marker on the ground.
Abbeydale Road shooting: An evidence marker on the ground.

“It is this new generation,” he said.

“They have no respect for the sanctity of life.”

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