Hunt for drivers after fatal shooting

A search was launched yesterday for two car drivers who sped from the scene of a double shooting in Berkshire that left one man dead and another fighting for his life.

A search was launched yesterday for two car drivers who sped from the scene of a double shooting in Berkshire that left one man dead and another fighting for his life.

Police warned the public that the occupants of a blue Range Rover and a red Audi saloon, believed to be carrying a woman and two children, might be armed and should not be approached.

Both cars drove off from a street in Pangbourne on Saturday night shortly before a 27-year-old man was found dead in the grounds of a Methodist church. A 33-year-old man was discovered nearby with gunshot wounds and was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital, in Reading, for surgery. His condition was said to be serious but stable.

Police had been called earlier that night to a disturbance at a home in Pangbourne Mews, a row of terraced homes 150 yards from a police station. The handgun shooting, at about 9pm, shocked neighbours in the prosperous village, where the pop star Boy George is said to own a weekend retreat.

Ian Crimp, who lives opposite the scene, said: "Shortly after nine last night I heard between eight and 10 loud bangs, but assumed they were fireworks. After about 10 minutes, an elderly neighbour who lives on her own rang me to say she was concerned about the noises. I opened my front door and there were teams of police and paramedics already there."

Detective Inspector Paul Cassell, of Thames Valley police, said: "With guns being used, these are clearly highly dangerous criminals. This was a shocking crime committed near a busy main road in a town which has never experienced anything like this before. Anyone who knows anything about the shootings should contact police as soon as possible."