A 14-YEAR-OLD boy was shot in the back in a busy city centre.
The youth had been walking along Washington Road, Sunderland, between 7.30pm and 7.45pm on Thursday when a member of a gang of ten teenagers shot him in the back of his right shoulder with an airgun.
The victim ran home after he was hit and was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital where he stayed overnight before being released yesterday morning.
He told police he had seen a group of about ten youths on Bunny Hill and it is believed one of them fired the shot.
Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call police on 0191-454 7555, extension 66126.
The attack came on the same day as it emerged that a Sunderland footballer had undergone an operation on his eye after a team-mate accidentally shot him in the face.
The footballer was reserve team defender Mark Maley, 21, who was injured with an air pistol at team-mate John Oster's home in Durham City.
Maley is due to see an eye specialist in the coming days following his operation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article