Intruder Shoots Merchant in Back

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 717, 17 July 1929, Page 1

Intruder Shoots Merchant in Back

STRUGGLE IN WAREHOUSE NEIGHBOUR SEES ASSAILANT Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, Today. A young man found on the premises of Hammond and Turner, hardware merchants, of Oxford Terrace, about 9.30 last evening, shot Mr. Edward Hammond in the back during a struggle and escaped. Mr. Hammond surprised the man in a store at the back of the shop. He caught the intruder, after a struggle, and was taking him to the front door to hand him over to the police, when the man drew a firearm and shot Mr. Hammond* in the back. He then bolted toward the rear of the premises. Mr. Hammond managed to struggle on to the footpath, where he called to a passer-by, telling him he was shot. The police were at once informed and when they arrived a thorough search of the premises was made, but without any trace of the man being j found. Dr. Marks was summoned and after ] receiving attention Mr. Hammond was removed to hospital. He is suffering from a wound in the back and shock, but his condition is not serious. He states that the man appeared to be about twenty years of age, with a j pale complexion. He was about 6ft j in height and of very slight build. A neighbouring garage proprietor. ; Mr. M. E. Halligan, not only saw but | conversed with a man answering the description given by Mr. Hammond to the police. Mr. Halligan states that, while working on a car inside the garage, he heard a lot of knocking and rattling from the passage-way. He thought nothing of it at the time but later, when he went to the door of the garage, he saw a man in the right-of-way. “I went up to him and asked him what he wanted,” said Mr. Halligan “For a moment he hesitated, then said he was looking for a lavatory. I showed him where it was. He went away a few minutes later, and I knew nothing until the police came round to question me.” Mr. Halligan explained that he did not hear the shot fired because he had a car running at the time. He describes the man as tall, slim and dirtylooking, wearing a dark overcoat. Mr. Hammond’s condition today is reported as improving, although he is weak from loss of blood. An X-ray examination will be made to locate the bullet, which grazed the left lung.