Quote:Panic at London school as gunman opens fire on car causing it to crash outside the gates beforeThe MailOnline:
'fleeing into the grounds' causing workers to cower in cupboards as armed police race to the scene.
*Witnesses reported hearing three shots outside the Kennet West Skills Centre
*The shooter, described as a black male, reportedly fled into the main entrance
*Shooter said to be driving a motorbike and opened fire into a white car
'Armed police have cordoned off a busy west London road after shots were fired outside a school today.
Witnesses reported hearing three shots outside the Kennet West Skills Centre in west London today,
as a motorbike rider opened fire on a white car.
No students were in the school but building contractors who were working inside the building at the time
of the incident spoke of how they ducked for cover after hearing the gunshots. A witness said someone
involved in the crash, possibly the gunman, is said to have run into the building after the white Volvo
crashed into the tree near the school.
Another scooter was also said to be driving with the bike involved in the shooting but sped off from the scene.
Pictures from the scene show the driver's seat of the white Volvo shattered and empty shell cases on the floor
next to the vehicle.
Sources told MailOnline the white Volvo was a rental vehicle and the incident is believed to be gang or drug
related. Police surrounded the school, which is a vocational skills centre for students with learning difficulties.
Nick Purnell, who was working inside the building at the time of the shooting, said he was forced to hide in a
cupboard after hearing gunshots at around 4pm. The 42-year-old told MailOnline: 'It was a heart-pumping moment.
My first reaction was to duck, but then I realised there was glass in front of us so I had to run.
'There were three of us working in one of the classrooms at the time and we all just ran out. My mate hid in a
disabled toilet while me and the caretaker hid in the cupboard, and that's where I called the police. 'We waited
until police arrived at the scene but then we managed to get out.'
Mr Purnell told MailOnline the person believed to be the shooter was a black man in his early 20s or late 30s,
wearing a blue striped top. He said that he entered the main entrance of the school and turned left down a corridor.
'I didn't hear any shouting after the shooting but people in the houses above were banging on the windows.
It all happened so quickly,' Mr Purnell added.
Oliver Holder, 35, arrived at the scene shortly after hearing reports of the shooting.
Mr Holder, who works as a photographer, said police had put a large cordon of around 50 metres around the school
and that around ten police vehicles, unmarked cars and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene.
He said: 'I was driving home and that is when I found out about the shooting. I live not far away from the area and it's
not the first time this has happened.
'Last year a girl died after being shot on Malvern Road. Another person was shot on my road, this kind of stuff happens
quite a lot now. 'This keeps happening but because we come under the borough of Westminster, we don't get the proper
resources to deal with the problem.'
The Metropolitan Police told MailOnline 'evidence of firearm discharge' was found at the scene.
They added there were no reported injuries and no arrests had been made.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called on Monday, 20 August at around 16:10hrs to reports of shots
fired in Kennet Road, Westminster W9. Officers and armed officers attended.
'No reported injuries. Evidence of a firearm discharge was found.
'Officers with the support of the National Police Air Service are searching the area.
'No arrests. Enquiries continue.'...'
'No arrests...' Of course not.
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