A young mum has spoken of her horror of hearing a gunshot that left a man with life-threatening injuries outside a corner shop in south London.

The 26-year-old, her three-year-old son, and the shop manager ran outside to see the wounded Polish motorcyclist lying on the ground with his intestines exposed on Church Street, Croydon, on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds at around 8.50pm.

He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, Scotland Yard said.

Police have since arrested two men, aged 24 and 30, on suspicion of attempted murder and are currently in custody at a south London police station.

The young mum of two, who asked not to be named, said she went into the corner shop to buy snacks as they were having a movie night.

She said: "I was actually in Reeves Corner Shop at the time when I heard the gunshot I was with my son.

"I didn’t see who shot the man, but I did see the man on the floor.

"One of the workers in the shop ran out and called the ambulance.

"Within two minutes the ambulance was there and then police cornered off the street.

She added: "I spoke to the shopkeeper and he told me that he was a regular, and had been going to Reeves Corner Shop for years: how he was a middle-aged Polish gentleman. I don't know his name.

"I left immediately because I was worried that whoever shot the man would come back so I took my son and went home."

The 26-year-old, from Croydon, added: "The whole thing was scary and horrific. I take my eldest son to the little park next to the church nearly every day so to think we could have been walking home and for that to happen makes me feel cold.

"What really shocked me as I’ve never witnessed, heard or been around anything like that.

A corner shop worker said he did not witness the attempted murder and did not know any details, but confirmed his manager called the ambulance.

Detectives from the Specialist Crime South Command continue to investigate.