Man dies in triple shooting

Police called to a shooting in north London found one man already dead and two others seriously injured.

Detectives are now investigating whether a feud involving East European gangsters could be behind the triple shooting.

The two injured men are now under armed police guard at an unnamed London hospital. Although both have serious injuries they are said to be out of danger.

The shooting does not fit the usual pattern of gangland killings in the capital and Scotland Yard said it is not being investigated by the Operation Trident team which is normally called in after black-onblack shootings.

All three shot men are described as being of East European origin and in their twenties or thirties. The shootings happened near the Fox pub at the junction of Green Lanes and Fox Lane in Palmers Green at about 9.30pm.

Last night police sealed off surrounding streets and dozens of officers were inside the pub collecting evidence. Police vans lined the streets and officers stopped people from entering the area. One man in the pub at the time of the shooting, who did not wish to be named, said: "I saw a man come in and sit on a stool by the bar. Then he fell backwards onto the floor.

"The bar staff want over to see what the problem was and the paramedics came in soon after that. I didn't hear a gunshot and it wasn't that noisy inside. It all happened very quickly.

"Bar staff were saying that three other people had been shot in the car park and thought the man had come in for help."

The Fox, once a traditional pub, was recently relaunched as a sports bar and is popular with younger drinkers who go there to play pool.

At first light today police were carrying out a detailed search of the scene, which was cordoned off overnight.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "No arrests have been made at this stage. Anyone with information is asked to call Edmonton Police Station on 0208 807 1212."

Last summer a detailed analysis of Britain's gangland by the National Criminal Intelligence Service warned that the threat from gangs of Eastern European origin was rising, with Albanian and Lithuanian groups increasingly linked with organised prostitution in the capital.