The 21-year-old victim of a gangland shooting cowered in a kebab shop as a shotgun-wielding man hunted him down in South Norwood.

Ashley Sheridan was shot at close range in the chest at the Delight Kebab and Burger shop on Woodside Green at around 11:30pm on Wednesday night.

Ashley “Caste” Sheridan was recently recalled to prison to finish a 12 month sentence for burglary after contravening his license but is understood to have since been released.

He has previously been seen travelling around Croydon wearing a bulletproof vest after threats were made against him while in prison.

A friend of the kebab shop owner, who wished to remain unnamed, said how Sheridan had sought refuge in the take away restaurant just as the employee was about to close the shop.

He said: “The boy seemed agitated, he kept looking out of the windows in the direction of Croydon town centre.

"He was worried and confused but the employee kept asking him what he wanted to eat and he told him if he didn’t want anything he had to get out.

“He ordered a doner kebab and that’s when two men, burst in the shop and shot him with a shotgun. They tried to shoot out the camera but missed.

“The two men, one of whom was wearing a mask, ran out of the shop and got into a car which smashed into another car, knocked over a lamp post then sped off.

“Everything was covered by the CCTV though, the entire shop, every inch, so they gave that to the police and hopefully they will catch the animals that did this.”

Another witness at the scene, who also wished to remain unnamed for fear of his own safety said a black Vauxhall Astra pulled up with four black males in it.

One of the men got out of the car and went over to the kebab shop then came back to the car.

"Shortly afterwards a green Mazda MX5 pulled up and while we were talking we heard what sounded like two explosions," he said.

“We ran toward the kebab shop and when everyone realised there had been a shooting they just ran."

A kebab shop worker dragged the injured man into the back kitchen where he received first aid.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "An ambulance was called at 11:35pm to shooting in Morland Road.

"We sent one ambulance crew, one single responder an officer and an air ambulance doctor in a car.

"A man was taken to hospital."

A police spokesman said: "Police were called at 11.32pm to reports of a shooting in a shop in Woodside Green.

"Local officers and firearms officers attended and found a man believed to be 21 years old suffering from gunshot wounds.

"He was taken by LAS to a south London hospital where he remains in a stable condition."

• Do you know more? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.