'Machine gun' fired at elderly Sheffield woman's house in case of 'mistaken identity'

The automatic firearm, which residents said sounded like a machine gun, was fired at a house on Bransby Street, Upperthorpe, late last night.

EXCLUSIVE: Sheffield brothers in fight to clear names over murder convictionsIt was fired from a car which pulled up outside the property and then drove off.

CRIME: Jailed Sheffield brothers speak out from prison after a decade behind bars for murderBut shocked neighbours said the property shot at belongs to an 84-year-old woman, who lives alone.

POLICE: Sheffield street cordoned off over reports of shootingOne man who heard the shooting and reported it to the police said: "An old lady lives at the house and luckily she was upstairs when the gun was fired. It's got to have been a case of mistaken identity. They must have got the wrong house."

The 26-year-old, who was bed at his girlfriend's house when he heard the sound of gunfire, said a neighbour looked out of his window moments after the attack and told him he saw a grey estate driving off from the street .

"I didn't see anything, but I heard it," he said.

"The man next door jumped up straight away and looked out and saw a grey estate car driving off. He said it did not speed off."

He added: "I was lying in bed after hearing the noise, which was an automatic weapon, like a machine gun going off. You don't think it is going to be gunfire but then my girlfriend's friends were sending messages saying it had sounded like gunfire so we rang the polce.

"By the time I got off the phone the police were already outside on the street.

"Apparently a police officer in the area had heard it when she was in her car and drove straight there."

The man, who does not wish to be named, said he saw officers examining the ground and then checking on the woman who lives in the house which was fired at.

Neighbours who went onto the street were urged to go back indoors for their safety.

Armed police officers were also deployed to the street, which was then cordoned off.

Officers carried out door-to-door enquiries into the early hours of the morning.

The man added: "You couldn't fail to hear the gunfire, everyone in the area must have heard it because it was that loud but there weren't loads of people in the street. They were probably too scared to go outside."

Anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101.