Rayners Lane shop owners have described the terrifying moment two men were shot on their doorstep - and told how they nervously reopened their businesses hours later without knowing what could happen next.
The victims were injured after a man shot at a group outside Chicken Cottage, in Alexandra Avenue, before fleeing the scene with an accomplice on a moped.
The pair, who had been grabbing a bite to eat on Tuesday afternoon (August 21), let out blood-curdling screams when they were gunned down.
Hardware store owner Alan Coster, 66, heard a huge "crack" at around 5.10pm.
"It all happened so quickly", he said.
"Two guys had gone into Chicken Cottage, then I heard someone screaming, it was really loud, like a panicking cry, then I saw a guy running down the road (away from Rayners Lane station) shouting, then he ran back again. That's when the shooting went off.
"I locked the front door and ran to the back of the shop. I was there for about five to 10 minutes."
Mr Coster, who has lived in Harrow all his life, was shaken up the morning after the incident but opened up shop anyway.
'Flying bullets aren't going to stop us'
He told getwestlondon: "Nobody has got an answer to it all.
"We've had [serious crime] going on for ages now, [such as] knifings between rival gangs. We had one just across the road outside the Zoroastrian Centre.
"I'm sitting by the counter looking out most days and something is happening. But in the last two years I've not seen one police officer walking down here.
"We used to have PCSOs at least, so there was some presence - but I haven't seen anyone in uniform for two years.
"The place was swarming with police last night, though.
"The problem is these kids are probably struggling in school, and this life is the only way out and they get involved in crime.
"We've got to have some police presence again. Look how brave they are now when there's no deterrent."
A customer called into the store - Eastwoods in Alexandra Avenue - while we were there, asking if it was open.
"We are open today - flying bullets aren't going to stop us", Mr Coster joked.
He added: "The Conservatives have cut back all this money from the police - they used to be the party of law and order.
"These kids now have no hope of getting on the property ladder. Ladbrokes across the road is going to be 270 new flats. But how many of those young lads from Harrow are going to be able to afford them?"
His was not the only business disrupted by the shooting and other neighbouring stores are still reeling after the attack.
Haris Patel, the owner of Indian sweet shop Natraj, said: "There were so many police and they took the (CCTV) recording from my shop.
"I'm the new owner here and it's the first time I've seen this, it's quite scary for us.
"Everybody is scared now but we have to keep the business open."
Rayners Lane shooting
And a shopkeeper at Smakosz grocers' arrived for work at 5am on Wednesday (August 22) to find a police cordon in place.
She said: "I couldn't open the shop as police were still here. I was away from London yesterday so was shocked to come back and see this!"
What we know so far
The first gunshot was fired shortly after 5pm in Alexandra Avenue, near to Rayners Lane Tube station.
Met Police officers and specialist firearms colleagues were called at 5.09pm.
Two men, aged 18 and 24, were found in a fenced off area suffering from gunshot wounds.
They were rushed to hospital and on Wednesday morning (August 22) a Met Police spokesman said neither is believed to be in a life-threatening condition.
According to police, the victims were injured after a male shot at a group outside Chicken Cottage before fleeing the scene with an accomplice on a moped.
Initial enquiries at the scene led to a report of further gunshots being fired from someone other than the male who escaped on the moped.
Police now believe this was not the case and at this time it is understood there was only one shooter.
Two other men - aged 18 and 25 - were arrested near to the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. They were taken to west London police stations and have since been released under investigation.
Police are continuing to look for the gunman who escaped on the moped and his accomplice.
The double shooting came less than 24 hours after a triple shooting just a few miles away outside Kingsbury Tube station.
In that incident two men, aged 18 and 24, and a woman, aged 30, were found suffering from gunshot injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment. None of them suffered life-threatening injuries.
