Pubdate: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: 2008 The Scotsman Publications Ltd Contact: http://members.scotsman.com/contact.cfm Website: http://www.scotsman.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 Author: Brian Ferguso Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) DRUG WAR FEARS IN CAPITAL AS MAN IS SHOT IN THE STOMACH A Teenager was being treated in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last night, following the second shooting within months on a housing estate in Edinburgh. The 19-year-old was shot in the stomach with a single bullet, amid claims that the shooting is linked to an escalating drug war in the capital. Police investigating the shooting have been unable to trace any eye-witnesses to the incident, which happened at about 9:30pm on Sunday in Broomhouse Crescent.A cordon was still in place around the street last night, while door-to-door inquiries were carried out. Lothian and Borders Police said they wanted to reassure residents that patrols in the area had been stepped up since the incident, but they refused to link it to any other incidents in the city. Local sources said the shooting was directly related to an ongoing feud between drug gangs from north Edinburgh and others from Gilmerton and the Inch on the south side, who have ties to dealers in the Broomhouse/Saughton area. One theory being explored by the police is that the teenager may have shot himself. There have already been claims that gang members staged the shooting of a private hire cab in the Granton area. Broomhouse was rocked in September after a shooting incident outside The Gauntlet bar. It was thought to be linked to the firing of shots at the cab only days earlier. Members of the rival groups are said to be involved in the heroin and cocaine trade. Other alleged incidents include two gunmen on a motor-cycle firing shots from a semi-automatic pistol at a man sitting in a van in Broomhouse Loan. Then another man had two shots fired through his front window in Craigmillar. It is thought that the victim of Sunday night's shooting had tried to run to his mother's home in nearby Saughton Mains Place for help following the shooting. One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "I live right above where it happened. I looked out my window about 10pm and there were police everywhere. "I've lived here for 22 years and it's not the first time something like this happened," said the neighbour. "It's usually got something to do with drugs." A police spokesman said the force was keeping an "open mind" on Sunday's incident. He added: "We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area last night and saw or heard anything suspicious." Keith Bell, the secretary of Sighthill, Broomhouse and Parkhead Community Council, told The Scotsman: "This was clearly a serious incident on Sunday night, but we genuinely don't believe it is reflective of the general levels of crime in the area, which have fallen significantly over the last few years. The community has worked very hard to improve the reputation of the area." The local Labour councillor, Eric Milligan, said: "Broomhouse received special attention from the police over several years. Clearly these things need to be kept under review and there may be a case for greater vigilance from the police." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin