An attempted murder probe has been launched after a man was found with gunshot wounds in Shorne, Gravesend.

Firearms officers and ambulance crews were called to Shorne Ifield Road just after 9pm on Sunday, to attend to the victim, aged in his 40s, who was taken to a London hospital with serious injuries.

An investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident is underway and includes enquiries as to whether the victim was the intended target of the shooting.

The offender is believed to have shot the man from outside the property through a window.

Police are appealing for information for anyone who may have seen a car "driving erratically" nearby.

Senior investigating officer, detective chief inspector Gavin Moss, said: "We would like to hear from anyone who was in the Shorne area on Sunday evening who saw anything suspicious.

"We are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have witnessed a vehicle being driven erratically in the vicinity of Shorne Ifield Road or any drivers who were in the area and have dashcam footage from between 7.30pm and 9.30pm."

"All hell broke loose. There were police cars, ambulances, a helicopter. We didn't know what was going on..."

Villagers described chaotic scenes in the aftermath of the shooting as emergency services descended on the isolated rural location.
"We didn't know anything had happened until the lights started coming down the road," said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous. All hell broke loose.

"There were police cars, ambulances, a helicopter. We didn't know what was going on. It was scary. The police have been quite tight-lipped - we just hope he's ok."

A second resident described how they had seen a helicopter over the village as they had left the pub on Sunday night, and had subsequently seen forensic teams at the site.

Another man said they didn't think many people would have been out of their homes at the time of the incident, due to the bad weather on Sunday night.

"It was really windy and everyone was indoors," they added.

Shorne Ifield road resident Russell Cooper described the incident as "totally bizarre", adding "it's a very quiet road. I mean when we moved in I was doing some work on a Sunday morning and I thought I'll just make a note of how many cars go past, and I think in an hour we had five cars, seven walkers and three horses and it hasn't changed much since then.

"So it's very quiet, especially at the moment, as we've had some flytipping at the other end of the lane which has blocked the lane so it's even more quiet than normal.

"It's very odd," he added. "It's a very safe road. Ours is the only burglary I've known of along the lane in twenty years, and that's only once ten years ago. It's a safe place to live, a nice place to live, and long may it remain so.

"We know the people in the cottages quite well and a couple of places further down the lane, but people don't tend to mix. That's the trouble nowadays, everyone jumps in their cars, and most people you speak to are dog walkers or joggers, or just walkers who go past.

"It's a friendly place, but not over-friendly. It's a lovely place to live. I've never heard anything like this in the twenty years we've been here, so it's not going to change our minds."

No arrests have yet been made and anyone with any information is asked to contact Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting reference 46/25409/20.

The independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously by dialling 0800 555111 or by completing the online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend