The scene didn’t take place on the streets of some lawless city in South America or the Middle East but in the northern English suburb of Birkby, West Yorkshire.

It is perhaps the most confronting photograph to emerge so far from the violent crime wave currently sweeping the UK.

The image, a still from footage captured by a neighbour’s security camera, shows the man pointing a gun at the victim, who crouches the pavement in terror.

Yorkshire Police released the picture in a bid to track down the gunman, who appears to be wearing a balaclava.

He fired what looks like a long-barrelled weapon into his victim’s leg before fleeing the scene in a blue van.

The 32-year-old man was treated for serious leg injuries following the attack, thought to have happened at 4.40am on June 8, and is currently in a stable condition in hospital.

Police from the West Yorkshire Homicide and Major Enquiries Team are leading the investigation and believe the victim was deliberately targeted.

“We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to this incident or anyone who may have seen a man previously acting suspiciously in the area wearing similar clothing,” Detective Inspector Emma Winfield said.

“We also believe the suspect left the scene in a small blue van and would ask for anyone who may have seen this vehicle to contact us.

“This is clearly a very serious incident and reassurance patrols will continue in the area while our investigation is progressing.”

One eyewitness told of passers-by coming to the aid of the heavily bleeding man while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

“There was someone giving him first aid, applying pressure to a leg wound,” the unnamed man told Metro.co.uk. “It took about 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. He had lost a lot of blood.”

The still image shows the suspect wearing what appears to be a black ski mask, grey tracksuit bottoms and a distinctive blue top with a white motif on the sleeves.