Mexborough shooting:"We are praying every night that this ends and we have peace in the town”

Their spotless coveralls shone bright, reflecting the low January sun, as the line of six, complete with hoods over their heads and Covid masks over their faces, made its way almost eerily, a close formation, across a stretch of stretch of Mexborough, between two lengths of blue police tape.

With the town in lockdown, the scene was almost silent.

Every now and again, one of the figures, members of the South Yorkshire Police crime scene investigation team, only their eyes visible, stooped to look at something on the ground, the rest of the team stopping with him.

This was the investigation into the death of a man in Mexborough last night in a suspected firearms incident.

Police had been called out yesterday afternoon, after a man had died in what was initially described as a firearms incident.

A murder probe was launched after a 20 year old died after the alleged shooting, at around 5pm yesterday.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder in the early hours of this morning, but investigations were still continuing throughout today, with probably a dozen officers working there at one stage.

Senior officers have said the shooting is being treated as a targeted attack, and have said that they expect the investigation to continue for several days, with officers likely to be there for some time to come.

Close by, a police van was parked, along with several police cars.

Traffic was being stopped by a line of cones along the road from the Mexborough side, with police advising drivers of other routes.

Beyond the cones, a long length of blue and white striped police tape sealed the road off to pedestrians, starting just outside the Mexborough Family Hub, and extending all the way across the street. Residents wanting to head in or out of the town centre were having to divert along Frederick Street, or through the nearby playing fields, behind the family hub, complete with children’s play area and football pitches.

On the other side of the road, residents had begun to leave bunches of flowers at the foot of a lamppost in tribute to the young man who lost his life in the incident yesterday afternoon. More flowers had started to gather on the Wath side of the corden, close to a bus stop.

Nearby, on the pavement in front of the Yorkshire YWCA building, a blue and white tent had been erected. At one point, the officers in white gathered together close by.

Next door, the Farmfoods supermarket, placed just outside the cordon, continued to serve customers, but few customers could be seen going in and out of the store.

Residents living close to the scene were shocked to hear of the tragedy.

Many of the houses close to the scene are family homes, with children among those living there, causing extra concern for the residents.

One resident said it had been upsetting to hear of a shooting so close to home.

He said the shock of hearing what had happened had caused his partner to go into labour yesterday afternoon, and that she had to be taken to hospital after her waters broke soon after they had heard what had happened. But both mother and child were doing now well in Doncaster Royal Infirmary, he added.

He said: “We didn’t hear any shots – we had the television on quite loud. But we heard the ambulance and police arrive, and her waters broke soon after.

"With it being so close to home, it is worrying. I just feel so sorry for the young lad’s parents – it is devastating that something like that has happened, and our thoughts go out to his mum and dad and to his friends.”

He said he was not aware of anything like that having happened so close before.

Another neighbour living close to the where the police were cordoning off the street said he had been in the back of the house, and had not heard any shots being fired, but later saw the flashing lights when the emergency services arrived.

"It’s shocking that that was happening outside,” he said.

"Of course it is worrying – we have kids,” said his partner.

Another resident, pensioner Trevor Stables, who lives in nearby bungalows, said he realised something was wrong last night when he was unable to drive along Wath Road, and had to divert along Adwick Road.

He said he was concerned about crime levels in the area.

"The road was blocked by police last night,” he said. “I thought there must have been a road accident at first.”

"I only heard afterward that they were saying it was a shooting. To be honest, I wasn’t shocked. Not round here, not in Mexborough.

"Something seems to happen every day. I’ve lived here 16 years. There always seems to be something happening, and unfortunately it’s got worse. It’s not good for the town or the community.

"I feel for the victim’s family. I’m a Christian, and we are praying every night that this ends and we have peace in the town.”

Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident number 495 of January 11.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.