10:04pm Wednesday 14th May 2008
By Chris Hopper
A BURNLEY teenager was shot in the face as he walked down a town centre street.
The 16-year-old boy was walking along Nairne Street, Burnley, at around 3pm on Tuesday when a pellet hit him on the cheek.
It is believed the shot had been fired from an air weapon but he did not see who fired the shot.
Police said they believed the boy was simply in "the wrong place at the wrong time".
And they said the incident could have had serious consequences as if he had been hit in the eye he could have been blinded.
Sgt Craig Leech, from Burnley police, said: "The boy was just walking along the street when he felt it come through his cheek.
"He received a cut but this shot could have gone right through his cheek.
"It could be a shot that's been fired but one that's not been aimed at this lad and he may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, whether it was intended or not.
"But if someone had intended it and someone knows something, we would like them to get in touch."
Officers say they believe the weapon fired was believed to be a pellet airgun, although a BB firearm may have been used.
It was the latest incident involving airguns following a series of incidents.
In March a woman was left bloodied and traumatised after thugs shot her in the back from a car.
The attackers fired an air weapon through a side window of a black Renault Clio after driving up behind the woman, 20, as she walked with a friend in Bury Road, near the junction with Bolton Road North, Edenfield.
She was hit in the back and the pellet passed through her thick woollen coat and T-shirt before piercing her skin, leaving her bloodied.
In February, the RSPCA warned that airguns were being used in East Lancashire to injure pets and wild birds.
And last year, a pet goose was shot dead in Blackburn by airgun-wielding thugs.
Anyone with information about the Nairne Street attack should contact community beat manager PC Ian Willis on 01282 472962.
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