A grandfather gunned down through his living room window was a ‘thoroughly decent man’ who may have been murdered in a case of mistaken identity, friends claimed today.

Barry Dawson, 60, was shot dead in a horrifying daylight attack which was caught on a neighbour’s home camera.

The large family of Mr Dawson, who worked for a crisp factory, KP Snacks, has been left distraught by the ‘senseless’ killing.

A friend of Mr Dawson, from Stanley, County Durham, told MailOnline: ‘It is impossible to comprehend that Barry has lost his life like this, whatever was behind it I’m certain he was not the intended target.

‘The Barry I knew would never have done anything to have brought this kind of things to his door, he was a thoroughly decent man and he wasn’t the sort of person to be involved in anything criminal.

‘Whoever did this was after someone else. It looks as though they fired at the window at whoever they could see and that was Barry.

‘He was a popular man in the community, everybody knew him and he has a large family who are completely devastated by this.

‘Barry had quite a few kids over the years and he loved them all, I can’t imagine what his family is going through right now.

Barry Dawson, 60, was shot dead in a horrifying daylight attack which was caught on a neighbour’s home camera

The large family of Mr Dawson, who worked for a crisp factory, KP Snacks, has been left distraught by the ‘senseless’ killing

‘To have a shooting like this happen in a small town like Stanley is unbelievable, but for Barry to be the one who ended up dead is cruel.’

Another friend of Mr Dawson said gangs had been ‘running riot’ in the Southmoor area of Stanley where Mr Dawson was killed:

He said: ‘It can be frightening in the streets in Southmoor where Barry lived but he just wasn’t involved in any of it.

‘They came to his house and shot him dead without having a clue who they were shooting at and they’ve killed a good bloke who never did a thing to deserve it.

‘The thought of it has left me sick to my stomach, especially after seeing the video of what happened.’

Shots were fired through blinds into the terraced house in Elm Street, Stanley, on Saturday afternoon before cries of ‘they killed my dad’ could be heard.

A video, which has circulated on local WhatsApp groups and social media platforms, shows two people approach the property at 5.17pm.

One of them appears to break a window while the other pulls out a gun, and a shot is then heard as it is fired, before two people run off and cries of panic are heard.

Durham Constabulary officers confirmed they were called to the property at about 5.20pm after reports of a ‘disturbance’, where a man was found to have been shot.

Despite the efforts of paramedics, Barry, known to friends as ‘Buck’ – was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives later confirmed they had arrested a 37-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and taken into police custody. They are yet to officially confirm the identity of the victim.

Danielle Scott, who lives a few doors away from the shooting, said that the incident was ‘terrifying’. She added: ‘I live on my own with my two-year-old daughter and I walk past that house on a daily basis to take my daughter to the park.

‘I normally take her out around that time (of the shooting) as well. I don’t know if whoever has done it has been caught, that’s even more scary.

‘I don’t know if it was a random attack. It’s just terrifying not knowing what’s going on. I never thought I would experience anything like this. I want to move out, I don’t want to be here.’

Shots were fired through the window into the terraced house in Stanley, County Durham

A second angle shows two people running off after the shots were fired on Saturday afternoon 

A police tent at the scene on Elm Street in Stanley, County Durham, yesterday morning

Another neighbour said of Mr Dawson: ‘He was a really, really lovely guy. He was always ready to help and always had a smile. Everyone knew him, and I don’t think anyone said a bad word about him.’

And a third woman said: ‘I didn’t know who it was at the time then I found out it’s actually a friend of ours. I know him quite well. He’s a painter and decorator on the side and he painted our house.

‘I work in the local club and he gets in there. He’s lovely, he’s really friendly. He would always buy us a drink when he was in the club. He would talk to you outside the club as well. We would chat all the time.

‘It’s devastating. It was a total shock yesterday. He lives there with his son. It’s awful, I’m devastated for the family. It’s just absolutely horrendous.’

Police said the victim’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Specialist crime scene investigators were examining the scene and officers were carrying out house-to-house inquiries, the force confirmed.

Police officers on Elm Street in Stanley on Saturday after a man aged 60 was fatally shot

A cordon was in place at the scene, with police taping off the terraced street in the South Moor area of the town and a blue tent erected in the road. Forensic officers in blue overalls were working at the scene and a police drone buzzed overhead.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Neil Fuller said: ‘Our officers are carrying out extensive enquiries and I am grateful for the support and co-operation we have received from the community so far.

‘I would urge anyone who has yet to get in touch with us to do so. Please don’t assume we already know. All relevant lines of enquiry will be explored. Our thoughts remain with the man’s family at this time.’

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: ‘We received a call at 5.19pm on April 5 to reports of a person injured at a private address in Stanley, County Durham.

‘We dispatched an ambulance crew, our tactical commander, a duty officer, a specialist paramedic, two crews from our Hazardous Area Response Team, and requested support from our colleagues at the Great North Air Ambulance Service who attended by road.’