A GUNMAN believed to have shot his former girlfriend then turned the weapon on her new partner is on the run.

One man is dead and a woman is in a critical condition after suffering injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

Up to 50 officers, some of them armed, are searching for the suspect, named this afternoon as Raoul Thomas Moat from the Newcastle area.

He is believed to be armed and members of the public have been warned not to approach him.

He opened fire at about 2.30am this morning and shot the woman through her living room window, before killing the man on a nearby patch of grass.

Terrified neighbours heard gunshots and police received a string of 999 calls.

Dozens of police are guarding the area around Scafell, in Vigo, Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, and cordoned off the crime scene.

A tent covered the body of the victim, while the woman, who is believed to be in her 20s, is fighting for her life in hospital under police guard.

Speaking this afternoon, Detective Superintendent Steve Howes of Northumbria Police said: "A man was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering injuries believed to be consistent with a gunshot wound.

"A woman was found suffering with injuries which we also believe to be gunshot wounds and her condition is described as critical.

"A post-mortem will be carried out later today in order to establish the cause of death."

Det Supt Howes said the man police are looking for, Raoul Thomas Moat, had just been released from Durham Prison, where he had been serving a short sentence for assault. That conviction is not believed to be connected to today's shootings.

He added: "We believe the offender targetted his victims because of a grudge he held against them.

"I would urge anyone with information about this incident or who knows the whereabouts of Mr Moat to get in touch with the police.

"Members of the public should not approach him as we believe he is dangerous."

Det Supt Howes said police were following up several lines of inquiry and armed officers are involved in the search.

Locals said they believed the gunman was an ex-boyfriend of the woman, and had just been freed from prison yesterday.

Mary Hall, 63, who lives opposite, said: “I was asleep when I heard noises which I later realised were gun shots, about two or three, and people screaming.

“I got up and looked out of the spare bedroom window and saw something huddled on the green outside.

“It was a man and I wondered why he wouldn’t get up.

“The lady in the house was screaming, I think she must have been on the phone to police. I think it was the mother of the girl that had been shot in the house.

“The man shot through the window and shot the girl. I saw a figure of a man with a handgun.

“It’s all very shocking as there are a lot of old age pensioners around here and you don’t expect this to happen.”

Mrs Hall added: “The girl is in her 20s and seemingly the other lad is her boyfriend who she has only been with a short time. He’s either in his late 20s or early 30s.

“When the police and ambulance arrived I think it was the police who turned him over and his chest was blood soaked.”

George Williamson, 50, was comforting his son after he also came face-to-face with the killer.

Mr Williamson, of Barley Mow, said: “My son heard the shots and went out to see what happened. The lad shot the girl in the house through the window.

“The lad had the gun turned and pointed it to my son. He then turned and shot the lad who was lying on the field.

“I don’t know the full details, my son has just clammed up. But what I do know is the lad who did this had just got out of jail at noon yesterday and came looking for his ex-girlfriend.

“I don’t know much else but my son is in bits as he knew the girl.”

A 21-year-old, who did not want to be named, said: “I’m really shocked. I woke this morning and saw a body lying in the field in front of the house with a blanket over it.

“The girl has been taken to hospital but the man has died.”

Paperboy Kris Brewes, 19, of Vigo, said: “Everyone is talking about it. The whole area has been cordoned off and there are loads of police.

"Two people have been shot, I’ve heard that the bloke who’s died is a karate instructor.”

Andrew Skeoch, 19, of Vigo, said: “This is only what you see on the films. This is not what you see in this area, the worst that has happened before is a lost dog.

“This is absolutely terrible, I can’t believe that two people have been shot and the man who did is still out there.”

Joseph Gaut, 58, who lives in a house opposite, saw the body lying on the grass from his window.

He said: “I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard a loud bang. I just thought it was somebody messing about so I went back to bed.

“When I woke up and looked out the window there was someone lying there and people from the three houses next to where he was lying came out.

"At first I just thought they were partying and it looked like he had collapsed or something.

“I didn’t realise anybody had been shot. But then the ambulance came and it just turned away so it was obvious he was dead.

“When the police arrived they covered him with a blanket. It is just unbelievable.”

A 63-year-old neighbour who didn’t want to be named heard the gunshots.

He said: “I woke up when I heard screaming. At first I thought it was just kids but then I heard a gunshot. Me and the wife jumped up to the window and we then heard another gunshot.

“I ran down the stairs to phone the police and when I was halfway down the third gun shot went off. The police said another report had already come in.

“We looked out the window there was a lot of screaming and running about. We would see something lying on the ground where the tent is now. I said ‘I think it’s a body’, but no- one was going near it.

“There was a couple of women screaming ‘he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun’. I think the shots were about 10 seconds apart.

“None of the medical staff were going to the guy on the ground. They were just going straight into the house. Obviously someone in there was injured.

“We think the woman who lives there has a couple of kids.”

Forensic officers arrived at about 8.45am and were examining the scene.

The house where it happened is one of three in a block that has just been there a few years and looks on to a large green area.

Birtley councillor Neil Weatherley, who lives about a mile from the incident, said: “There was a lot of police activity in Birtley overnight. I heard the police helicopter over the town between 2am and 3am and there were sirens during the night.

“I am in total shock to hear what’s happened. By and large Birtley is quite a quiet backwater. We have issues like everywhere else but to have a murder and a serious injury like this is horrific.

“Everyone in Birtley will be absolutely shocked and stunned.”