Teenager, 13, shot outside Scout hall

A 13-year-old boy was seriously wounded after a gunman opened fire with a shotgun outside a Scout hall.

The boy was queuing with friends to get into a party at the hall in Thornton Heath shortly before midnight on Saturday when a group of men approached.

Police said a row broke out between the two groups and resulted in one of the men firing the gun.

The teenager, from Lambeth, was hit in the back and taken to a south London hospital, where he was in a stable condition.

The gang, who were black, fled after the shooting. Detectives from Operation Trident - the Met team which specialises in gun crime within the black community - are investigating.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Detectives believe the boy was very lucky not to have suffered far more serious injuries."

Police are appealing for any witnesses to call the Trident incident room on 020 8785 8580 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.