The man in his 30s was flown to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the shooting on Frances Street. No arrests have been made.
A manhunt is under way after a man was shot on Frances Street in Woolwich, south-east London. The Metropolitan Police were called at around 8pm on Thursday 22 October. The victim, in his 30s, was treated at the scene and taken to an east London hospital. He was left with serious, life-threatening injuries, and no arrests have been made. The Times reports that police do not believe the shooting is connected to the nearby Royal Artillery Barracks.
What police and paramedics have said
A Met spokesperson said: “Officers attended and found a man, aged in his 30s, suffering from gunshot wounds. They performed first aid until the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance arrived. The man was taken to an east London hospital with life-threatening injuries.”
The spokesperson added: “Firearms officers and specialist crime detectives attended the scene.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said the service was called at 8.13pm to reports of a shooting at the junction of Frances Street and Ogilby Street. It sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic from its tactical response unit, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. It also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London’s Air Ambulance. “We treated a man for a head injury and took him to hospital as a priority,” the spokesman said.
Reported details
The Sun reported on 23 October that the man was shot more than once and is under police guard in hospital. The Met has referred to gunshot wounds but has not confirmed how many shots were fired or why he is being guarded. Other reports, which have not been confirmed by the force, say forensic officers have been searching for cartridge cases and that detectives are examining CCTV from nearby streets. Police have not given the man’s name, a suspect description or a motive, or said whether a weapon has been recovered or a vehicle was used.
The area and the barracks
The Met’s Woolwich Dockyard Safer Neighbourhoods Team published drug-related antisocial behaviour at the junction of Frances Street and Ogilby Street as a neighbourhood priority on 8 October, about two weeks before the shooting. It described activity outside local shops and listed high-visibility patrols, plain-clothes operations and stop-and-search among its planned responses. It also listed antisocial behaviour linked to three nearby nightlife venues, CQ Lounge, Le Wouri and MIMI’s Lounge, and to the area around McDonald’s. There is no evidence linking any venue to the shooting, and these priorities do not show that it was drug-related.
The Royal Artillery Barracks is due to close in 2028, according to The Sun, and much of the site is expected to be redeveloped for housing. It currently houses up to 700 military personnel.
Separately, a 14-year-old boy, Eghosa Ogbebor, was shot dead on Lord Warwick Street in Woolwich on 2 April 2026, the Met said at the time. There is no evidence that the two incidents are connected.
Appeal for information
Anyone with information has been urged to call police on 101. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
