Shoppers ran for their lives after a gunman reportedly fired two shots at a rival brandishing a machete in a corner of north London branded the ‘Wild West’.
The shooter narrowly missed bystanders as he fired at a knifeman on a busy stretch of Green Lanes on Tuesday morning.
Shoppers and families dived for cover, with one bullet narrowly missing four people in a passing car.
Witnesses described how a man, allegedly carrying a machete, taunted his adversary, who then drew a pistol and fired at him.
One bullet hit a door, leaving a deep dent, while the other is believed to have smacked into a car with four people inside, narrowly missing the occupants.
Green Lanes was full of shoppers who ran as the shooter aimed his pistol before two shots rang out.
One woman collapsed in shock and was helped by locals.
Armed police were scrambled to the scene with bullet casings strewn on the ground.
Witnesses said the man they suspected was the gunman jumped in a car while alleged knifemen ran up nearby Pemberton Road.
No injuries have been reported, and no arrests have been made at this stage.
A pensioner who lives on Pemberton Road told : ‘There was a guy at the bottom of the road on Green Lanes; he pulled a pistol out and fired twice at a guy on Pemberton Road, about 20 yards away, who was holding a machete.
‘Neither had their faces covered, and there had obviously been an argument before.
‘The first gunshot sounded like a high-performance exhaust thud, but everyone was running in for cover, running for their lives because you could see the gun.
‘Given the time of day, people couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was the morning, just crazy. One of the bullets hit a metal door, and there was a bullet casing in the road.
‘An innocent person could easily have been killed. My great-grandchildren could have been playing outside and been hit by a stray bullet; it’s like the Wild West here.’
A second witness told : ‘There were two bangs in quick succession, then people running away.
‘Someone could have been killed easily.’
Green Lanes is lined with grocers, shops, barbers and cafes.
Detectives are trawling through CCTV footage from the area as forensics examine the bullet casing.
There is a bullet hole in a metal door that went all the way through, suggesting a high-velocity shell.
Five years ago, Sharmake Mahamud, 22, was shot dead on Green Lanes in a ‘tit for tat’ gang revenge killing. Five men were jailed for life.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said they were deploying more officers to the area following the latest shooting.
They said: ‘Police responded to reports of gunshots in Pemberton Road, N4 at 11:00hrs on Tuesday, 29 September.
‘At this time, a victim or suspect is yet to be identified, and a crime scene is in place while initial enquiries are conducted.
‘Residents can expect to see an increase in police presence and may face some travel disruption as the road remains closed.
‘Anyone with information, particularly with doorbell or dashcam footage from around the area, is asked to contact police urgently on 101 quote 2582/29SEP.’
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