Two arrested after man shot outside flats in Crawley

(Getty Images)

Two people have been arrested after a man was shot outside a block of flats.

The victim will need surgery for a hand injury believed to have been caused by a shotgun in Commonwealth Drive, Crawley, West Sussex, just after 9.30pm yesterday.

Two people living in one of the flats, a man aged 38 and a woman of 26, were held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm but later freed without any further action, Sussex Police said.

Detectives said it was a "serious but isolated incident" and it was clear the shooting was not a "random attack". Police are trying to trace other people in the area when the man was shot.

Officers appeared for information about a car, described as an old-style silver or gold-coloured Suzuki Swift, or similar type, which drove away from the scene immediately afterwards.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Wardley-Wilkins, of Sussex Police, said: "This is a serious but isolated incident for the area. We are following active lines of inquiry and it is already clear that this was not a random attack.

"Local people are being reassured that there is no current risk to their safety and we are carrying out an intensive investigation to establish what has happened."

Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

PA