Three teenagers hurt in latest London shooting

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) Three teenagers were injured in a shooting in a London street early on Sunday, police said, the latest young victims in a spate of gun attacks.

A gunman in a gang of men who covered their faces fired shots into a group outside a house party, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

A boy aged 13 was shot in the leg, an 18-year-old man was hit in the chest and a woman aged 18 suffered a gunshot wound to the back. Two of them have been discharged from hospital and the third is expected to be allowed to go home soon.

The shooting came days after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead in Liverpool as he walked home from football training.

That attack prompted Prime Minister Gordon Brown to pledge to crack down on gang violence after a series of fatal attacks on young people this year.

At least 17 young people have been shot or stabbed to death in London this year.

In the latest attack, police said they were called to reports of a large fight outside a house in Haringey, north London, shortly after midnight.

''A large number of people had gathered in the street outside,'' police said. ''A group of males then arrived with their faces covered and one fired a handgun into the crowd before decamping.'' Police sealed off the scene and forensics officers searched for clues. Detectives refused to speculate on the motive. They appealed for witnesses.

REUTERS MS RN2021