CCTV footage of a Halloween gunman who threatened two shop keepers with a sawn-off shotgun before shooting one of them in the chest has been released by police today in an appeal for information.
It shows two hooded men enter Show Supermarket, High Street, Plaistow, just before midnight on October 31 last year, with one pulling the weapon from his trousers.
Inside the gunman threatens both workers with the gun and demands cash before being chased out of the store empty-handed towards Winkfield Road.
Off-camera he fires a single shot at close range resulting in life-changing injuries for the shop’s owner, 51, and wounding his assistant, 40, in the leg and stomach.
Both men are then seen staggering back to the shop.
Investigating officer, Det Serg Gary Ferguson, said: “These men are dangerous and we need to find them urgently.”
The owner’s injuries saw him fall into a two-week coma while in hospital.
He has since been discharged but the lasting effects of his injuries have severely impacted on his quality of life, police said.
His 27-year-old daughter made a heartfelt plea for anyone who recognises the men or has information about the attempted murder and attempted robbery to come forward.
“My dad is an honest, hard-working man. He has run the Show Supermarket for 14 years and is well known to the local community as a friendly person,” she said.
“His life changed when he tried to defend his livelihood from armed robbers.
“They ran off, leaving him bleeding in the street.
She said her family had been “sick with worry, not knowing if he would live” while her dad was in hospital and now needed “closure”.
“We are lucky that he survived. But since then he has suffered numerous health problems as a result of the assault. He is afraid and unable to return to work,” she added.
The assistant, who was hit by fragments from the shotgun shell, was also treated at hospital and has been discharged.
A £20,000 reward is being offered by he Association of Convenience Stores and charity Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible.
Anyone with information should call or call the Flying Squad on 020 8345 4226 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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