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Shootings mar end of Notting Hill Carnival
Last updated at 11:37am on 28.08.07Two teenagers aged 14 and 17 were shot at the Notting Hill Carnival and another man was stabbed as violence marred the end of the celebrations.
Despite early assurances from police that the festival had been peaceful, the last few hours saw a series of attacks.
Police found a 17-year-old youth bleeding from his shoulder after hearing shots near Blenheim Crescent at about 7.30pm last night. An arrest was made.
A man working in a burger van around the corner said he saw people fleeing in all directions shortly after the shooting.
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Shooting victim: Police with the shocked and bloodied 17-year-old who was hit by shots fired into the crowd
He said: "There was a lot of screaming and shouting, a lot of panic and police running all over the place. It was chaos for a while."
Another witness said the gunman pulled a gun from his waistband, fired and then fled.
He said: "He shot straight into the crowd. Then he rolled over as if he was James Bond and ran off." The injured teenager was treated at the scene.
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The police were out in full force during the Notting Hill Carnival
Two hours later at 9pm a 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.
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Police maintained a strong presence at the carnival following yesterday's stabbing
Not many women could pull this off - but this dancer sure did
The area around the shooting - at the junction of Portnall Road and Harrow Road, in Maida Hill - was sealed off while police hunted for the gunman and a forensic team arrived.
It is believed the 14-year-old will be discharged from hospital today.
At about 6.15pm, a man in his twenties was stabbed in Westbourne Park Road. His injuries were also thought not to be serious.
At 6pm officers had hailed the policing of the event a success, saying the number of arrests were down compared with last year.
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A policeman is surrounded by several dancing girls at once
It's all glitter and gold at the Notting Hill Carnival
Chief Inspector Jo Edwards attributed this decline to proactive policing prior to and during the carnival.
"Our arrest figures are down and a lot of this is due to the use of police stop and search powers," she said.
As the evening wore on, there was a sudden rise in arrests.
By midnight, there were 220 arrests, nearing the 238 figure recorded a year ago.
Up to 9.25pm last night, there had been 160 allegations of crime, making a total for the weekend of 270.
Police had been on high alert after rival gangs taunted each other over the internet saying they would attack each other at the carnival.
Video sharing site YouTube and the social networking groups MySpace and Bebo were used to make warnings between gangs from different areas of the capital.
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A party reveller this year soaks up the carnival's famous Caribbean party atmosphere
The carnival has been going for over 40 years
Hundreds of thousands of people turned up to see Europe's biggest street carnival
Police estimated that around 4,000 officers had been present in Notting Hill over the carnival period. This included 650 British Transport police on trains and at stations using mobile metal detection arches.
Sniffer dogs were at 20 key stations which revellers used to travel to west London.
Organisers said some 1.5 million people had flocked to Notting Hill over the three days - roughly the same amount as last year.
Carnival director Michael Williams said: "I am extremely happy as you remember the predictions of mayhem on the streets.
"What we had was a well-run carnival and people enjoying themselves."
Reader views (13)
I was not there this year. Too many people. The costumes are always great, but some people seem to come to spoil it and I would rather stay away.
- Dawn Evans, London GB, 28/08/2007 22:56
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Many contributors to this comment column say that they are either outraged or surprised. I'm neither, the outcome was entirely predictable.
- Dave, Cornwall, 28/08/2007 22:17
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More black youth crime in London, seems like an every day thing now; carnival or no carnival, this is a serious problem that has to be addressed.
- Brandon Thomas, London UK, 28/08/2007 20:58
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All - actually I was at the Carnival, with a girlfriend who is from the Caribbean. Supporting English culture is not a Victorian value. Lots of people whose families are from Africa and the Caribbean were born here and are English. But there is no need for them to ignore the heritage and culture of this country (and if you think English culture is boring then perhaps you should look a little further). Multiculturalism means an acceptance of all cultures, not just political correctness.
- Philip, London, England, 28/08/2007 17:35
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I wish my first (and last carnival) a few years ago was representative of the beautiful pictures I see on this site of fantastic costumes and happy people. I got caught up in a crush along a pavement that was aggravated by teenagers kicking and punching their way through. I don't experience that level of intimidation and violence by groups at the festivals, concerts and Gay Pride but by the sounds of the reports for the NH Carnival, robberies and violence are excused as a result of the large numbers that attend and that's a shame.
- Jowo, London, 28/08/2007 16:34
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Were you there Philip? I was, and there were shining examples of British people there, thank goodness people like yourself stayed at home!
- Daveb, London, 28/08/2007 16:09
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Being there for the first time I must say I really enjoyed myself and the presence of the police there made the event great despite the last minute gun shots. The police force were very friendly - I must say I really would like to thank them once more. A million times to the police force, their presence cannot go without mentioning and let me say to the police force, keep your good work going.
- Raphael Chikukwa, kingston, 28/08/2007 15:43
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Philip, welcome to the 21st century! Now leave your Victorian views behind.
If you look at the photos above there are all sections of the people that live in this country having a good time, this country is a massive melting pot of cultures and just because a few idiots want to ruin it doesn't make it un-British.
- Stuart, UK, 28/08/2007 14:17
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Do me a favour. The lord mayor's show, trooping the colour, state opening of parliament, every royal wedding, Pride, all those dodgy country shows out in the sticks, that armed forces show where they run about with a cannon near Xmas. All thses are British through and through, how many do you attend Philip? None I bet, because they are dull as ditchwater and / or cost a fortune to attend!
the british character is essentially boring as hell, and not happy unless they are being ripped off!
by the way, im white, and my parents were born here, not that this matters you understand. But just thought i should let you know 
- Lee Quinn, London, 28/08/2007 13:56
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To Philip - Obviously you've chosen to remain "blinkered" to who attended the event or view English culture as a "white only". Notting Hill carnival attracts and is made up of people from all nations of the world - English and otherwise!
And just for the record - last week's debarcle of a carnival down in Cornwall is just the type of English carnival this country can do without.
- Karen Reynolds, London, 28/08/2007 13:37
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Philip, it's not the carnival that excludes but the people themselves who decide not to go. Carnival is a West Indian tradition, so no it won't be all union jacks and 'God save the Queen' but having said that, anyone and everyone is welcome to attend. I have plenty of non afro-caribbean friends who have attended carnival more times than I have!
- Bertha, London, 28/08/2007 13:17
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The event was excellent and I didn't notice a hint of trouble, everyone was just enjoying the sights, sounds and food, which is what it's all about. Admittedly I know to leave well before the end, to prevent the crush of people and any possible trouble, but the fact is you always get ignorant, trouble makers at large FREE events. Sad but true, that's just how some people get their kicks and I'm not going let them keep away from events I enjoy.
It actually was a shining example of multiculturism, I imagine Philip wasn't there to see it for himself and if he was he wasn't taking much notice of his surroundings.
- Catherine, East Anglia, England, 28/08/2007 13:17
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I heard one of the organisers describe the carnival as a shining example of multiculturalism. I see nothing of English culture represented there. It's not multicultural. Imagine the complaints if there were an English Carnival.
- Philip, London, England, 28/08/2007 12:39
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