Man killed outside prison gates

The man who died was believed to have visited an inmate at the prison

A man has been shot dead outside Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, police have said.

Emergency services were called to the prison at about 1430 BST after reports of gunshots.

Police are now searching for two men seen running away from the scene of the killing which took place in a car park, officers said.

It is believed the man who died was leaving Wandsworth Prison after visiting an inmate.

At least four shots were fired in the incident, witnesses said.

Both ends of Heathfield Road, the street on which the prison is located, have been sealed off.

One eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said two men wearing motorcycle helmets with dark visors were seen acting suspiciously near the scene of the shooting before the killing.

They were wearing motorcycle helmets with the fronts pulled down over their faces Eyewitness

She said: "I saw two men in the street. They made me nervous. They were wearing motorcycle helmets with the fronts pulled down over their faces.

"They were apart from each other in the street right outside the entrance.

"One was sitting on a wall. They were both wearing white shirts and dark jackets. I walked into a shop, I thought they were cash van security guards.

"That is when I heard several bangs. I thought they were gunshots, there were at least four. One of the staff members said there had been a shooting."

She added: "I could hear sirens, by the time I left the shop there were police and ambulances everywhere."

Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting, in whose constituency the shooting happened, said: "This is shocking and unprecedented. The prison has an extremely good relationship with the local community and we do not expect something like this to happen."