Overview
- Essex Police sent armed officers, paramedics and an air ambulance to Sherwood Way in Bournes Green after a neighbour reported gunfire and a cry of 'I've been shot' on Saturday at about 3:35 pm.
- After checks at the flat, officers confirmed there were no firearms and no injuries, with reporting indicating the sounds came from a resident playing Call of Duty on powerful speakers.
- Officers arrived in protective gear and prepared to force entry, with eyewitnesses noting heavy tools and one officer pictured carrying a chainsaw.
- The Essex and Herts Air Ambulance landed in nearby Bournes Green Park to stand by for a possible medical evacuation.
- Police said the 999 call was made in good faith, and background figures show the armed unit handled about 14,000 incidents last year and has not discharged a weapon in public for more than a decade.