Newport shooting: Dead gunman named as Darren Williams

Police are now studying CCTV footage to piece together the events that led up the shooting.

The man found dead in woods after a shooting incident involving three women at a hair salon in Newport, south Wales, has been named.

The body of Darren Williams, 45, who was from Cwmbran, was discovered in Brynglas woods on Friday night.

He was being sought after shooting his ex-partner who works in Carol-Ann's salon in Malpas Road.

Two customers suffered minor injuries. Police are looking at CCTV to piece together events before the shooting.

Two of the injured women were taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport where Mr Williams' ex-partner, who was shot in the knee, remains in a stable condition.

Police had been hunting the man after the incident, at about 14:20 BST.

Supporting relatives

A member of the public reported finding his grey Mini Cooper at about 19:00 BST.

Officers later confirmed his body was found in Brynglas Woods in the city at about 20:15 BST, about a mile away.

Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious or looking for anyone in connection with it.

Family liaison officers from Gwent police are supporting relatives of those involved.

Supt Dave Johnson, local commander for Newport, paid tribute to armed response officers, who searched for Mr Williams for more than five hours.

'Shocked and upset'

He also thanked the member of the public who reported seeing his car at a canalside location close to the shooting.

He said: "We have family liaison officers working with relatives involved in the shooting at Carol-Ann's hair salon yesterday, and neighbourhood officers working with the community in that area, where I know people have been shocked and upset.

"We understand those feelings and share them.

"We have a greatly increased police presence in Newport at the moment."

Shells found

Gwent Police said they had recovered the gun used in the attack as well as shell casings.

Two elderly customers were seen running from the salon with towels on their heads and screaming for help after the shooting.

A section of Malpas Road near the salon was cordoned off overnight but reopened on Saturday morning.

A white tent was put up around the hair salon while a forensic science team carried out an investigation, with two police officers standing guard.

Kataru Reddy, who works at the Shell petrol station opposite the salon, heard the shooting.

He said Malpas Road north of the city centre was closed after police vehicles arrived about 10 minutes later with a team which included five police marksmen.

Anwar Ul Haq, 60, who lives above and works at Malpas Convenience Store, two doors from Carol-Ann's Salon, said he heard about three shots and a woman in her 50s ran into his shop asking for help.

Forensic experts carried out a painstaking examination of the scene.

'Frightened'

"Yesterday near about 2.20 we hear the noise of shooting...a woman came out shouting 'help, help'...she went to another shop and asked for help, in the mean time the police vans came," he said.

"That woman was frightened, scared, she was when she came out.

"The police said to go inside and close the doors. We didn't go outside then as the police blocked the road and after four o'clock the police said to us close the shops and so we closed the shop."

Labour councillor Paul Cockeram, who represents the Shaftsbury ward where the incident happened, said he was shocked.

"The shop is obliterated apparently. It's amazing nobody died.

Antisocial behaviour

"The salon is predominantly a more senior sort of hairdresser's salon. There would have been a lot of elderly people in there, I would have thought. They would have been extremely frightened.

"It's not an area known for violence - I just can't believe it.

"I don't have any problems with antisocial behaviour in the ward - I know of areas where something like this is more likely to happen."

The Gwent force have appealed for anyone with information about the incident, and in particular relating to the shotgun, to contact them by dialling 101 or via Crimestoppers.