Man shot as drug deal 'goes wrong'

A man is critically ill in hospital today after being shot in his car in north London in what police believe may have been a drug deal "gone wrong".

The victim was shot at close range last night as he sat in his parked Vauxhall Astra in Grove End Road, St John's Wood.

It is thought that his attacker was sitting in the passenger seat when he shot him.

After the shooting at 11pm, police sealed off the scene while forensic teams began a fingertip search and detectives carried out door-to-door questioning in the nearby streets.

A police spokesman said: "The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance and he is in critical condition. He appears to have been shot at very close range and he will be very lucky to pull through.

"It is too early to say what the motive was, but one possibility is that it could have been a drugs deal gone wrong."