A RESIDENT has described how she raced outside after hearing a gunshot yesterday morning and found a man covered in blood.

Police were called to The Close, off Praetorian Court, just after 10am to reports of a shooting.

Leighanne Lackey has told how she rushed outside after hearing what sounded like a gunshot and saw a man lying on the floor covered in blood on the side of his body.

The mother-of-two added: “He looked like he was in a lot of pain. There were so many police here and then the ambulance came and took him to hospital.”

Ms Lackey said before the incident she heard people laughing and running down an alley next to her home, which leads to the communal garden.

She said: “Someone’s car window was shot with an air rifle a while ago so at first I just thought it was someone messing about because I heard the laughing too.

“I couldn’t believe it when I found out it was a real gun. It’s scary because we think it happened outside in the close and my son was standing near the front door - I keep thinking of the worst, what if the shot had come this way.”

The small cul-de-sac was cordoned off by police for most of the day while investigations took place.

It is still unknown if the victim was a resident of The Close.

A police officer remains in the area today.