Man shot dead during armed robbery

Jan 9 2009

A man has died after being shot during an armed robbery.

Three robbers were on the run following the incident at Fairfield Stores in Stourbridge Road, Fairfield, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

The victim died after being shot in the chest, West Mercia Police said. A second man was shot in the leg during the incident. His condition was not known.

A West Mercia Police spokeswoman said: "Police can confirm a man has died after being shot during an armed robbery near Bromsgrove in north Worcestershire this morning. It happened at about 8.20am at Fairfield Stores, Stourbridge Road, in Fairfield.

"Two men are believed to have been shot. One man was shot in the chest and died at about 9am. The other was shot in the leg and his condition is not known at the moment.

"Initial information is that there were three offenders wearing balaclavas and armed with a handgun and a sledgehammer. It is believed they were in a silver VW Golf, which has since been found abandoned nearby."

Detective Superintendent Jon Groves, of the major incident unit, said: "Significant resources have been committed to this inquiry, which is in its very early stages. We are appealing for anyone who saw the silver Golf in the area between the store and Bourneheath Road, where it was abandoned, to contact us."

Locals described Fairfield as a small but friendly village. It is close to the M5 and M42 motorways, with some residents commuting to Birmingham and Worcester.

One resident said: "I haven't found one bad person in the village."

Villagers knew little about the shooting, saying police had simply told them they were dealing with a "major incident".