Police are hunting a gunman who shot dead a teenage boy in the middle of a crowded shopping centre.
Horrified shoppers looked on as the 17-year-old was shot in the chest as he cycled through the Bridgeway shopping parade, in the tough Meadows area of Nottingham, shortly after noon on Tuesday.
It is thought the youngster, named locally as Nathan Williams, of Lammas Gardens, was involved in an altercation with another youth when he was fatally wounded, just a few hundred yards from his home.
He was rushed to the city's Queen's Medical Centre where he died from his injuries.
The area remained cordoned off as police conducted house-to-house inquiries in a bid to identify the gunman - believed to be of a similar age to his victim.
Former school friends of the youngster, who is believed to be of mixed race, expressed their grief as they gathered at the scene of the murder - committed on their doorstep.
One 16-year-old girl, who would not be named, said: "He was a lovely lad. He wouldn't hurt anyone. He was really friendly, always cracking jokes. I can't believe he has gone."
Another school friend said Nathan was unlikely to be involved in gang activity, denying there was any particular rivalry in the area.
Locals said Nathan lived with his mother Jane and 14-year-old brother, who is thought to be away on holiday. His mother is believed to be employed at a bakery in the shopping centre where her son was gunned down.
Jon Collins, leader of the city council, said: "This is a senseless shooting and an absolute tragedy. This is only the second fatal shooting in almost two years, but any incident of this kind is one too many. We will do everything we can to help the police find whoever is responsible and to diffuse any tensions there may be in the local community."
