Drive-by shooting in Sheffield branded 'reckless' by police

Shocked residents said they heard the sound of a machine gun being fired in Bransby Street, Upperthorpe, last Wednesday night.

CRIME: Man attacked near Sheffield massage parlour still 'critical'Police officers alerted to the shooting found that the windows of two neighbouring homes were hit by bullets.

POLICE: Man left fighting for life after Sheffield stabbing now 'stable'Nobody was injured in the shooting, but Detective Chief Inspector Steve Whittaker, who is leading the investigation into the gun attack, branded it 'reckless'.

"To have an automatic firearm discharged in the street is rare and we do not yet know why addresses in this location were targeted," he said

"To discharge any weapon, never mind an automatic one, is reckless and we need to recover that weapon.

"Anyone with information on where it may be should contact the police or Crimestoppers."

He said forensic tests are being carried out on casings and bullets recovered from the scene to try to establish the exact type of gun used and whether it is linked to any other crimes.

CCTV footage from around the crime scene and further afield is being trawled through in a bid to identify those involved in the gun attack.

He said the shooting is currently being treated as a 'standalone' incident.

"That is not to say it is not going to be connected to any other, but at this moment in time we area treating it as a standalone," he added.

The shooting came the day after a man was stabbed on Burgoyne Road, Walkley.

Both the shooting and knife attack happened on opposite sites of Ruskin Park.

The year before, 23-year-old Aseel Al-Essaie was shot dead on nearby Daniel Hill, Upperthorpe.

Matthew Cohen, 29, Dale Gordon, 33 and Keil Bryan, 32, were found guilty on a 'joint enterprise' basis after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court and are due to be sentenced on Friday.

Cohen, of Clough Wood Road, Oughtibridge, admitted that he was driving the car from which the gun was fired but denied knowing that the attack was planned and he refused to name the killer.

The prosecution case was that Gordon, of Benty Lane, Crosspool, pulled the trigger and that Bryan, of Brackley Street, Burngreave, was in the back of the car but they were all jointly responsible.

Anyone with information on the latest shooting should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.