Man shot during riot dies in hospital

A young man shot in his car during last night's "unprecedented" rioting in the UK died today.

A murder hunt was launched as British police announced that the 26-year-old victim had died after being admitted to hospital.

He was discovered in a car suffering from gunshot wounds at about 9.15pm as trouble flared in Croydon, south London, last night.

Scotland Yard described last night's violence as the worst it had seen "in current memory" for "unacceptable levels of widespread looting, fires and disorder".

Along with the 26-year-old who was fatally shot, a total of 44 officers were wounded in the capital and a man in his 60s suffered life-threatening head injuries.

Commander Simon Foy said the man was found inside the car last night and taken to a south London hospital, where he died this morning.

Two others in their late 20s have been arrested for handling stolen goods and taken to a south London police station, he added.

Officers from the force's Trident unit are investigating.

It is believed the group of three men in the car were involved in an altercation with a group of about nine people which led to a pursuit involving three vehicles from Scarbrook Road, Croydon, passing along the A232 flyover into Duppas Hill Road, where the victim was shot, Scotland Yard said.

"Detectives are appealing for anyone who witnessed the pursuit which involved a dark coloured estate car and silver hatchback - believed to have been driven by the group of nine - and a dark coloured hatchback, in which the victim was a passenger," a spokesman said.

A post mortem examination will take place later.

The two men arrested earlier on suspicion of handling stolen goods were bailed to return pending further inquiries, police added.