Taxi driver shooting 'motiveless'

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Police investigating the fatal shooting of a taxi driver in Sheffield say there was no clear motive for the attack.

Younis Khan, 53, was shot as he drove along Scott Road, Pitsmoor, in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Hackney cab then crashed into the gates of Burngreave Cemetery. Mr Khan was pronounced dead later in hospital.

Detectives said Mr Khan was a "hard-working family man" and revealed he was shot with a small-calibre firearm, possibly a handgun.

The area was cordoned off on Wednesday while forensic teams scoured the scene.

'Callous crime'

Det Supt Martyn Bates, from South Yorkshire Police, said he could not say how many times Mr Khan had been shot.

He said: "We believe the shots were fired from somewhere close to the junction of Scott Road and College Road.

He was well known, a nice gentleman, a taxi driver, a family man with children Faraz Sharif, family friend <a onClick="javascript:newsi.utils.av.launch({storyId:6451177, fileLoc: '/player/nol/newsid_6450000/newsid_6451100/', nbwm: 1,nbram: 1,bbram: 1,bbwm: 1});return false;" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6450000/newsid_6451100?redirect=6451177.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1">Police conference</a>

"A number of local residents and passers-by tended to Mr Khan prior to him being taken to hospital."

Mr Bates said the driver was a "hard-working family man" and added: "Mr Khan was a law-abiding person. At this stage there appears to be no reason or motive why he should have been a victim of such a callous crime."

Hafeas Rehman, secretary of the Sheffield Taxi Trade Association, said drivers in the city had been shocked to hear of Mr Khan's death.

He said Mr Khan had been a taxi driver for about 30 years.

"He was well known, a very nice man who worked hard and had a big family", he said.

The taxi crashed into Burngreave Cemetery gates after the shooting

Mr Rehman said the area where the shooting happened was notorious for drug use and had until two years ago been a "no go" area for taxi drivers.

He said: "Taxi drivers are very scared now, we've had a couple of robberies recently at gunpoint.

"It has been a high crime area for a long time but recently has improved a lot.

"They always think twice before picking up there, but these last couple of years the confidence in the area has increased."

Faraz Sharif, a friend of the taxi driver's family, told BBC Radio Sheffield that Mr Khan was well known in the community.

He said the victim had two sons, three daughters and three grandchildren.

"He was well known, a nice gentleman, a taxi driver, a family man with children," he said.