Portsmouth residents in fear as menace “pointing gun towards houses” roams streets
The Fratton community has been put on high alert after reports of a man walking round brandishing a gun.
Police have swarmed to the area to hunt for the menace “pointing the gun towards houses”, people on social media have claimed. However, others have said they are mistaken with him not holding a weapon.
Fears, though, persist with officers and an ambulance seen travelling from London Road to Fratton Road and on Guildford Road and Brookfield Road. The first sighting of the man was reported around 2.30pm with him still roaming the streets around 6pm.
A photo has circulated on social media showing a hooded man holding his arm up while appearing to clutch something. Residents have issued warnings to others over the ongoing incident.
One person said on social media: “Police have been informed, please send them all the info you have. This guy walked past my girlfriend's mum's house whilst our toddler was sat by the window and he was pointing the gun towards the houses as he walked past.
“(Our) kiddo was so scared thinking he was going to shoot that she threw up. Police are looking for him and have taken all info we have. Please also inform them asap.”
Another person said: “It started at around 2.20pm this afternoon. He was waving his arms and shouting all sorts of nonsense. Clearly not well or off his head on something.”
A third person wrote: “I saw the police when I was on school run in Guildford Road and Brookfield Road…didn’t know it was because of a man with a gun.”
A fourth person posted: “Two police cars and an ambulance went from London Road to Fratton Road - hopefully everyone is safe and sound.”
A fifth added: “Be careful out there, it's a cruel world we are living in.”
But others moved to reassure others. One person claiming to live with the man in question said: “I live with this guy and I assure you he does not have a gun. He has some mental health issues and is a bit kooky. But completely harmless.”
A second person rejecting the man had a gun said: “Ain't got no gun, just some punters pens and a McDonald's coffee stirrer.”
Another person who pictured the man said: “Doesn’t appear to have a gun.”