Briton injured in gangland shooting

Well-known comedian Jimmy Carol in induced coma after separate incident

'Brit zone' gun fire on Wednesday night that led police to lockdown the area is being blamed on drug dealing gangs

A SHOOTING in the heart of Benidorm’s nightclub district on Wednesday night caused panic among innocent holidaymakers and resulted in a police lockdown of Calle Mallorca, known as The Square among Britons.

The incident happened at around 23.00 in what police say is ‘drug mafia’ related and eyewitnesses said that there was a mass stampede involving around 40 men, with furniture flying before a number of shots could be heard.

Five men with firearms were involved – said to be of ‘East European appearance’ and in total three were wounded, one of which was British plus a Moroccan, who were taken to hospital having sustained gunshot wounds, although not thought to be life-threatening.

National police, who are conducting the investigation located four bullet casings at the scene and are examining CCTV footage from local establishments and hotels in the area.

Police and council held an emergency security meeting on Thursday afternoon and undoubtedly, there will be a much higher police presence on the streets following this incident.

Local businesses have been campaigning for increased security in the area for some time and it has been an issue that the British Business Association have been highlighting to the authorities for several years.

This issue of drugs is by no means exclusive to Benidorm as it also affects many popular holiday destinations but there is a recognised menacing undercurrent of drug turf wars in this area, which up to now the authorities have been dismissing.

Now that the story has appeared across all the UK papers the local authorities are expected to take stock and address the issue before tourists vote with their feet.

However, it must be noted that Benidorm as a whole is a large resort and reports of trouble in general do not happen outside of this small area.

CBNews contacted security councillor Lorenzo Martinez for comments, but as the time of going to press, we had not received a reply.

Karen Maling-Cowles, President of Benidorm’s British Business Association added, “It’s shocking and horrific”. She has been in contact with the British Consul and called for an immediate action plan to be taken by police and authorities.

Jimmy Carol in induced coma

This incident followed on from the previous night (Tuesday), when a shocking and horrific attack resulted in a 63-year-old Jimmy Carol being admitted to hospital following an incident outside ‘Good Times Bar’ on Calle Lepanto.

Jimmy Carol, a much-loved comedian on the Benidorm entertainment circuit, 'was attacked because he stood up to a group of drunk lads who were pushing, shoving and giving agro to a group of girls', according to his son who say he was hit so hard that he fell to the floor already unconscious, causing a fracture to the skull and bleeding on the brain. He was taken to hospital and placed into an induced coma. He was later transferred to Alicante Hospital for further scans.

His attacker is described as white male, around 6 ft with short curly hair wearing a red England top and with a group of around 8/9 other men, who all ran off immediately after the attack. Police are investigating but anyone with any information should contact them immediately.