A businessman underwent surgery yesterday after he was shot three times in a targeted attack at his shop.

The 42-year-old victim remained in a stable condition in hospital after an operation which is thought to have included the removal of a bullet from his body.

He was hit three times when a masked gunman appeared in the doorway of a shop in Little Horton Lane, Bradford, and fired off a number of shots at him.

The victim, who was refurbishing the premises with two friends, suffered a serious chest wound and minor injuries to his leg and hand.

He was under police guard in an undisclosed hospital while detectives probed the motive for the shooting.

Detective Chief Inspector Adrian Taylor, who is leading the investigation, said the shooting was clearly a targeted attack but the motive was not clear.

He said the victim owned the premises, a former takeaway, and was refurbishing it to open a mobile phone shop.

“He was stood inside, with the two friends helping him, when a man in a balaclava appeared in the doorway, wedged the door open with his foot, and fired specifically at the victim.”

Det Chief Insp Taylor said the gunman fired a number of shots, without speaking, hitting the victim three times from about six feet. He then fled on foot.

The man, who is described as Asian and of stocky build, was seen in the area around the time of the incident, which happened at around 7.45pm on Saturday.

He was wearing black clothing and a balaclava, and is believed to be around 6ft tall and aged between 20 and 30.

Det Chief Insp Taylor, said: “We are particularly keen to speak to this man.We are not sure which way he went after leaving the shop and we urge anyone who saw someone running away from the scene to contact us.

“I urge anyone who may have witnessed this, or seen any suspicious activity at the time, to call police on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

“We are still working on why this happened, but it was a targeted attack and we want to reassure the public that they are not going to be victims.”

He said the victim was a businessman and family man with a partner and children.

Visible police patrols have been increased in the area to reassure residents.