Gangland victim critically ill after shooting in glasgow

The victim, named locally as Kenny Reilly, was later said to have been “targeted” as Police Scotland moved to quell fears of more violence in the north of the city. It is understood the

29-year-old was the passenger in a silver BMW car driven by a female which was stopped on Bilsland Drive close to Maryhill Road at 10.20pm when a black people carrier pulled up alongside. A

balaclava-clad gunman emerged from the passenger seat and opened fire, hitting Mr Reilly in the head with at least one bullet. The shooter then clambered back into the people carrier, which

sped from the scene and was later found burnt out two miles away. It has been removed for full forensic examination. Witness Callum Youde, 23, who was staying with friends on Maryhill Road,

told BBC Scotland he heard “distinctive gunshots”. The arts student from Dundee said: “You could tell what the sound was – it was like the noise from a movie. There were about four

distinctive gunfire shots. I went outside to see what had happened. “There was nothing, then a few minutes later the area was full of police vans and emergency services. “It was certainly

alarming to hear gunfire close to where we are.” Police Scotland scrambled dozens of officers to the scene and closed a number of roads as they hunted for the hitman. Detectives were last

night believed to be working on the theory that Mr Reilly was in debt to underworld figures and had also been caught up in a gangland feud which has claimed a number of lives over the last

decade. Meanwhile, some sources have suggested the shooting was a bungled abduction attempt and the gunman had panicked and opened fire after failing to get Mr Reilly out of the BMW. Police

Scotland would not officially comment on a possible motive for the shooting, but confirmed Mr Reilly was “targeted”. He was rushed by ambulance to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for emergency

surgery. His condition was described as “critical”. Detective Superintendent Kenny Graham appealed for anyone with information to come forward, promising anonymity. He said: “Whoever is

responsible for this shooting clearly has no regard for the safety of those living in this busy residential area and they must be caught. “We are continuing our inquiries to establish a

motive for this crime and, although we believe that this was a targeted attack and that the 29-year-old man was the intended victim, we are pursuing all lines of inquiry.”