Braintree shooting: Safety fears after Market Place attack

The incident took place in Braintree on Monday, August 31, in Market Place.

Four young men fled the scene in the direction of the town's railway station.

Residents living on Station Approach have shared their concerns following the incident, which has seen a large-scale police investigation launched and two men arrested.

Valerie Lovely, who moved to Braintree in 1982, says she no longer feels safe.

“It makes me scared to go out,” she said.

“I’ve felt safe here for over 40 years, but not so much now.”

“The world in general is getting worse, because we don’t have the discipline that we used to.”

Gathering evidence - a forensic investigator at one of the police cordons. (Image: Ben Shahrabi)

Essex Police has confirmed the armed suspects arrived in the town armed with at least one shotgun.

After the shooting in Market Place, four young men were seen leaving the area in the direction of the town’s railway station.

A police helicopter was used to help locate the men, who are still on the run.

Resident Claudia Ribeiro, who lives near the station, said: “We heard the helicopter but didn’t know what was going on as it was late at night.”

Mrs Ribeiro takes a more optimistic view about the incident and antisocial behaviour in Braintree overall.

“Braintree has the same problems as everywhere,” she said.

“We feel safe here.”

Investigation - areas were blocked off while evidence was collected. (Image: Ben Shahrabi)

Mai Eaton has lived in Braintree for 25 years but says new groups of young people have appeared in the town recently.

She said: “I see a lot of youths hanging around town - new faces which I’ve only seen over the last few weeks.

“It makes me suspicious because I don’t know what they’re doing, although there’s a strong smell of cannabis.”

Mrs Eaton says she wants to protect young people in Braintree from entering a life of crime.

She said: “They’re being dragged into these problems by somebody else. We need to find the people responsible.”

The shooting should be an “alarm bell” for residents and the police to take action, Mrs Eaton says.

She added: “We need to act now to prevent these crimes in the first place.”

Essex Police is continuing its investigation.