‘Being shot was a huge wake-up call’
Attempted city murder victim speaks out after no-one charged
A MAN shot in the leg has spoken out for the first time after learning his attackers have not been caught.
The 23-year-old Portsmouth man, who has asked not to be named, said he was shot in the leg with a 9mm bullet while at his then-girlfriend’s home in Hudson Road, Somers Town in Portsmouth. The incident was investigated as attempted murder.
Police arrested four men from London but they were released, and no-one has been prosecuted over the crime.
The attacker was attempting to break into the house, kicking down the front door and minutes later started shooting, the victim told The News.
He said he kept himself behind the front door during most of the incident, trying to keep the attacker from entering the terraced house.
‘I put myself up against the door, that at this point was almost hanging off its hinges on one side,’ he said. ‘I still didn’t know he had a gun.’
As he was pushing against the door, the man then heard two loud bangs before he fell to the ground.
‘My leg then gave away,’ he said. ‘It was pouring with blood from both sides.’
Injury photos provided to The News show bullet hole entry and exit wound on his upper left leg.
The unknown assailant fired a few more times through the windows as the man dragged himself upstairs before calling an ambulance and the police, the victim said.
After a few days’ treatment at hospital, he was told a bullet pierced his sciatic nerve, bruising the outer wall of his femoral artery.
He was left in a wheelchair for a month and had to use crutches for six weeks. He underwent water physiotherapy for a year in Salisbury.
Two years on from the attack, the man has spoken out to say he was disappointed police did not secure justice. He was told of the probe ending earlier this year.
He said: ‘I don’t know if they got the wrong house. The most likely scenario is that the attacker had the wrong address, it was a case of mistaken identity.
‘The house that was attacked wasn’t my own, it was my girlfriend’s university house, five girls lived there.’
The man, who was visiting the house lived in by five university students, added: ‘The police didn’t really help, they never caught him. They arrested four men, but nothing ever came of it.’
He did not get a clear view of his attacker and ‘saw a shadow of the person from the glass in the window,’ he said.
He is still feeling the effects from the shooting on February 3, 2019.
He is forced to wear a leg brace during the day to help with walking due to injuries from the attack.
But he said it also acted as a wake-up call. It forced him to ‘appreciate life’ and motivated him to start thinking about his career and future, he said. When the shooting happened, I wasn’t at a very good place in my life, I wasn’t really doing anything workwise, I was messing around,’ he said.
After he recovered from the shooting and could walk again, he began on a journey of self-discovery.
He booked a flight to Nepal, in which he spent three months teaching English and building houses for local residents in the area.
‘As soon as I could walk, I booked a flight,’ he said.
After Nepal, he began focusing on his career, taking several courses in business and finance.
‘The incident was a huge wake-up call for me, I really started focusing on my career and what I wanted to do with myself,’ he said.
‘I knew I didn’t want to work under anyone, so I completed a few courses in business, studied and really focused on advancing my career. I knew where I wanted to be,’ he said.
Since the shooting he has become a partner at an investment company in south London.
A Hampshire police spokeswoman said: ‘The four people arrested in connection with this incident have been released with no further action being taken against them. There are currently no further lines of enquiry available to officers. However this case will be reviewed should any further lines of enquiry become available.’
When the shooting happened, I wasn’t at a very good place in my life. Shooting victim