Gunman fires shots inside the Shannon Centre as clubbers take cover
Developers want to demolish the Shannon Centre, which acts as a bar at the moment, and build a six-storey block of flats. - Credit: Archant
The Shannon Centre is facing losing its licence after a gunman fired shots in front of terrified clubbers taking cover inside the venue.
Police called for an emergency review of the premises licence at the building, which houses Berties nightclub, O’Connors bar and the Rayyan Banqueting Lounge, after an incident in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Cameron Road venue in Seven Kings.
Documents submitted to the council’s licensing sub-committee this week said clubbers, who had gathered outside as they left the club at around 2.40am, were forced to run for cover after a man started shooting in the street.
He then passed the gun to another man, who went inside the centre – where many of the revellers had hidden – and continued shooting.
A spokesman for the Met Police said nobody had been injured in the incident.
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In an application for an expedited – fast-track – review, Redbridge Police licensing officer Pc Alan Felix said policing had been “seriously undermined” and called for the licence to be revoked as the venue is associated with “both serious crime and serious disorder”.
Earlier today (Friday), the council’s licensing sub-committee agreed to suspend the licence ahead of a formal review hearing, expected to take place next month.
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In the documents, Pc Felix said clubbers were stood in the Farley Drive pedestrian pavement area when an altercation took place between a man in a yellow top and others.
One man fell to the ground and was attacked, while another man in a yellow top reportedly fired up to seven shots.
According to CCTV footage, the man appears to hand the gun to another man in dark clothes who then enters the club and starts shooting, forcing people to run out and seek cover.
In March, plans were approved to demolish the building and knock it down, replacing it with a block of 32 flats.
Seven Kings and Newbury Park Residents Association chairman David Stephens welcomed the plans, and said it had become a “source of nuisance for the local community with drunkenness and anti-social behaviour spilling out into the local roads”.
Did you see Saturday’s incident? Call the Recorder on 0208 477 3858.
