SOMERTON SHOOTING: Man 'bleeding from neck' after car is 'pushed off road by 4x4'

The Ford Ka involved in the shooting late last night on Somerton Road.

UPDATE: 12.48

The three people injured in last night's shooting have been discharged from hospital. The group are believed to be from the Cardiff area.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident. They are currently in police custody.

Police are carrying out enquiries to locate the other vehicle and its occupants reported to be involved.

Somerton Road remains closed at this time whilst enquiries are undertaken.

Chief Inspector Huw Nicholas said; “We would like to reassure residents of Newport that we don’t believe this was a random incident and that the occupants of the vehicles were known to each other. Officers are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the incident and we are currently in the process of interviewing witnesses to find out what happened.

UPDATE: 12.34

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed they sent a rapid response vehicle and two emergency ambulances to the scene, where a man with a head injury and a second man and a woman with minor injuries, were taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

They were called at 11.45pm last night (Tues) after reports of an incident near the Crosshands pub on Chepstow Road in Newport.

UPDATE: 10.55

An eyewitness described a Nissan 4x4 chasing the Ford Ka up Somerton Rd and then pushing it into a wall from behind as shots were fired. The eyewitness described three people in the car ran into the pub "in hysterics".

Another eyewitness described a man bleeding from the neck, the girl phoning her mother crying & a second man refusing to go in an ambulance without two armed police.

UPDATE: 10.51

Resident Sally Dee described sounds like "fireworks going off" last night, while another resident Mike Smith says there's a "surreal feel" to the area today, with roads closed. Another resident on Chepstow Road, Peter Bees heard two loud shots,which he believed were from a shotgun. Then after few seconds, a car braking, skidding and a thud as it "hit something."

UPDATE: 10.15

A resident near the scene of last night's shooting said he was in bed and around 11.30 when he heard two shots. “I heard the sound of a loud impact and it sounded to me like a shot gun was fired.

“The two shots were fired within ten to 15 seconds of each other followed by an almighty crash and an impact smack of what must have been a car two seconds later.

“Then everything went quiet and when I opened the window to look out I could just see traffic still moving so it wasn’t until I got up this morning around 6am that I saw the Somerton Road and Gibb Road had been cornered off, with police forensic teams there.”

Somerton Road remains closed while enquiries into last night's shooting and car crash continue.

UPDATE: 9.40

Newport councillor for Victoria, Majid Rahman said: “My main concern is the recent rise in gun crime in Newport. “We have had a shooting not long ago and we do not know whether there is a real gun problem in Newport. “The Gwent Police should clarify whether there is a threat in the community.”

One of the cars involved in last night's shooting outside the Crosshands pub on the corner of Somerton Road and Chepstow Road this morning.

UPDATE: 8.35

SHOTS were fired near the Crosshands pub in Newport last night.

Two vehicles were involved in the shootings which took place at 11.30pm on Chepstow Road, which saw shots being fired from a car at another vehicle causing it to crash.

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "We received a call at approximately 11.30pm on Tuesday September 3 reporting an incident that occurred near the Crosshands Pub on Chepstow Road, Newport.

"Two vehicles were involved.

" Pellets were fired from what is believed, at this time, to have been a shot gun from vehicle one at vehicle two, causing vehicle two to crash.

"There were three occupants travelling in vehicle two, two men and a woman.

"All three have been taken to hospital for treatment.

"The woman with a back injury and one of the men with minor injuries as a result of the collision, and the second man with a head injury as a result of the pellets being fired.

"This injury is not life threatening and he will soon be discharged. "

Officers are now carrying out enquiries to find one of the vehicles.

Somerton Road is still closed at this time whilst enquiries are carried out.

Anyone who was in the vicinity of Chepstow Road at the time of the incident who may have witnessed it or have information that could assist police are asked to call 101 quoting log 586 03/09/13.

PART of Somerton Road is closed due to a police incident in Newport this morning.

The stretch between the Cross Hands traffic lights and Cromwell Road is affected.

Chepstow Road was also closed but reopened at 7.10.

Emergency services remain on scene due to investigation work following an incident.

There are no estimates as to when the road will re-open.