Two men and two women have been arrested after a police officer was allegedly blasted with a sawn-off shotgun in Nottingham.
Suspects fled the scene of the shooting in Radford area of the city centre at 4.50am on Sunday while the officer was rushed to hospital where he is currently in a stable condition after being treated for gunshot wounds.
The victim had approached two of the suspects at a bus stop in Angel Row before being shot in the foot, Nottinghamshire Police said in a statement on Monday.
Officers launched a manhunt on Sunday which led to the arrests of four people, who all remain in police custody where they are being questioned by detectives.
Among them was a woman, 27, arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
In a separate development, officers stopped a vehicle in Bedfordshire in the early hours of Monday, where a man, 30, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
The cordon - erected in the wake of the shooting - has today been lifted, although groups of police officers remain at the scene.
A member of the public holds a police officer's bare foot in the air after he was allegedly shot in Nottingham
Police recovered a sawn-off shotgun at the scene (pictured). Four people have been arrested
Police soon arrived and set up a cordon, bringing traffic to a standstill on Angel Row in Nottingham city centre
Video showed the aftermath of the shooting as officers raced towards their colleague in the moments after the incident.
While one policeman treats the officer outside the entrance to a Taco Bell fast-food restaurant, bouncers could be seen standing by him and a member of the public holds his foot in the air.
Reinforcements quickly arrive with sirens ringing loudly across the busy street.
Crowds of bystanders start gathering at the scene on Angel Row, near the Nottingham City Council building.
Meanwhile, traffic comes to a standstill and shouts and car horns can be heard as chaos ensues.
Police recovered a sawn-off shotgun at the scene and a cordon was quickly set up in the wake of the incident.
Assistant Chief Constable Claire Rukas, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'A team of experienced detectives continues to work tirelessly to establish exactly what happened before, during and after this appalling incident.
'I am pleased that four arrests have now been made and hope this provides some reassurance to the public as those detained are questioned in connection with the discharge of the firearm.
'The police cordon in Angel Row has now been lifted, and I would like to thank local businesses, residents and members of the public for their patience, support and understanding while officers carried out vital enquiries and recovered evidence from the scene.
'The injured officer continues to recover in hospital and is receiving support from colleagues and loved ones. We ask that his privacy is respected at this time.
'Our thoughts remain with him, and with his family, friends and colleagues, who have all been affected by this deeply shocking incident.'
Nottingham East Labour MP Nadia Whittome wrote on X: 'My thoughts are with the injured police officer and his family following this truly shocking incident. We all wish him a full and speedy recovery.'
The Police Federation of England and Wales also sent its best wishes to the officer.
It said in a social media post: 'This is a stark reminder of the dangers police officers face every day while protecting the public.
'Their courage and commitment must never be taken for granted.'
A cordon was set up on Angel Row, near the Nottingham City Council building, as forensic officers attended the scene
Forensics experts on Angel Row retrieved the sawn-off shotgun, which is understood to have been used to fire at the male police officer.
The early morning shooting happened in one of the busiest streets in the heart of the city.
It overlooks the town hall and market place where work was continuing this weekend to erect a large ice rink for the city's Christmas market, which opens next month.
Pubs and fast food shops, which would normally be bustling on a Sunday, remained closed due to the police cordon.
Nottingham was a gun-crime hotspot during the early 2000s and the city council even appointed a 'reputation manager' to remove the perception of it as an area blighted by gun-toting criminal gangs.
The crime rate in Nottingham as of this month is 1.4 per 1,000 people – or 143 per cent of the national crime rate.