A police officer is recovering in hospital this weekend after being shot in the foot in Nottingham city centre, in what senior officers describe as a sobering reminder of the risks officers face while doing their jobs.
The injured officer had approached two suspects in Angel Row shortly before the shooting, which happened at 04:50 BST on Sunday, according to Nottinghamshire Police. He is now receiving treatment for the wound to his foot.
For the officer’s family and colleagues, the incident has brought sudden worry. Assistant Chief Constable Claire Rukas said her thoughts were with the injured officer, his family and his colleagues as the investigation gets under way.
“This is a shocking incident and a sobering reminder of the potential dangers faced by officers as they work to protect and serve the public,” she said.
The force said a firearm was recovered at the scene. Detectives said two suspects, a man and a woman, fled the area and have not been apprehended. Officers are now working to establish exactly what happened and to trace those responsible.
Angel Row itself remains closed, and a large police scene is still in place in the heart of the city centre, a visible sign of how seriously the investigation is being treated.
Rukas also issued a direct appeal to the public, asking anyone who might be able to help to come forward quickly. “I also ask that anyone with additional information shares this with us without delay,” she said. “Even the smallest bit of information could make all the difference to this investigation.”
The appeal matters because, with the two suspects still at large, detectives are relying on witnesses who may have been in the area in the early hours of Sunday morning. Details that might seem trivial to members of the public, the force suggests, could prove significant to the investigation.
The early timing of the incident, just before five in the morning, means the city centre was largely quiet when the shooting took place, though the source brief does not indicate whether any witnesses have yet come forward.
What is clear is the sequence of events as police have described it: an officer approached two suspects in Angel Row, a shot was fired wounding him in the foot, a firearm was recovered, and the man and woman fled the scene before they could be detained.
The closure of Angel Row will be felt by anyone who normally passes through that part of the city centre, with the large police cordon remaining in place while the investigation continues. No timeline for reopening the area has been given.
For Nottinghamshire Police, the priority now is twofold: supporting the injured officer and his family, and finding the two people who left the scene. Rukas’s words underline both, pairing concern for the officer’s wellbeing with a call for public help in the hunt for those responsible.
Anyone with information is being urged to contact the force without delay. As the assistant chief constable emphasised, even the smallest detail could make all the difference.
The investigation continues, and further updates are expected as detectives work to establish the full circumstances of the shooting and to locate the man and woman who fled from Angel Row in the early hours of Sunday morning.