Man arrested over shooting of 12-year-old boy in Sheffield

The boy was standing by shops on Northern Avenue when he was shot

A man has been arrested after a 12-year-old boy was shot in the leg in South Yorkshire.

The child, who is in a stable condition in hospital, was hit in the Arbourthorne area of Sheffield at about 15:45 on Sunday.

The 30-year-old is being held on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

South Yorkshire Police said the injured boy was "an innocent bystander".

The boy and three of his friends - aged 13, 15 and 16 - had been outside a sandwich shop on Northern Avenue when the shooting happened.

On Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Tim Forber said: "It's really important to say that we do not believe that the victim or his friends were the target and they are entirely innocent bystanders to this incident."

"It appears that they have been caught in the line of fire of a targeted attack," he added.

Mr Forber said he believed a man was the target of the attack, which was thought to be related to a fall-out between two organised crime groups.