THE husband of a woman shot by a gunman on a shopping trip to Manchester has described how he thought she was going to die.

Janet Scott, aged 41, was shot in the thigh as she was looking at the window of a jewellers in the city centre.

Husband David, aged 62, grappled with the lone gunman - who is believed to have fired the shot by accident - as his wife lay in agony on the ground. But the gunman escaped.

Mrs Scott was taken to the Manchester Royal Infirmary where she was treated before being released late.

And, as she was recovering at her home in Buckingham Avenue, Horwich, her husband, a self employed company director, said: "My wife is very shocked, shaken and sore.

"Thankfully she is now back home and resting. It's impossible to say how I was feeling at the time. I thought her life was in danger, and the thought that she was going to die crossed my mind. I had no idea what was going on."

The gunman tore off his sandals and fled barefoot as he was chased by passers-by through crowds of lunchtime shoppers and office workers.

The incident hapened at 11.55am on Thursday as Mr and Mrs Scott were window shopping at jewellers Boodle and Dunthorpe.

The couple became aware of a man standing directly behind them and then heard a loud bang before Mrs Scott, a receptionist at a doctor's surgery, fell to the ground.

Mr Scott jostled the gunman into a doorway but he fled as Mr Scott returned to help his injured wife.

Mr Scott said: "We were just out shopping and we stopped to look at the window of a jewellery store.

"This guy came up behind us and then the next minute we knew there was a loud bang.

"I looked round and I saw Janet was on the floor. She was bleeding. I realised it was really bad, but this guy said it was just a loud firework.

"Then he picked up what he had dropped on the floor - I presume it was a gun - and he ran off.

"I don't know this bloke from Adam. I have no idea why he shot my wife, but I am going to find out."

Mrs Scott was bleeding heavily from the wound and a passer-by stemmed the flow of blood with a towel as she lay slumped on the pavement.

Police have been unable to find the bullet which was fired from the gun and scenes of Crime officers spent Thursday afternoon at the scene.

Officers are scouring hours of CCTV footage to trace the offender but believe the shot was fired by accident.

Det Chief Insp Jane Antrobus, who is leading the police hunt for the gunman, said: "This appears to have been a bizarre incident and I believe the gun may have been discharged accidentally.

"The victim has had exploratory surgery but no bullet has been recovered. We can therefore not confirm the type of weapon which was used.

"There is no evidence from nearby shop staff that the man was acting suspiciously around the area and there is no suggestion that any robbery, or attempted robbery, took place on King Street."

The man was described as white, between 25 and 30 years old, of skinny build and between 5ft 10in and 6ft tall.

He was wearing a black tracksuit top and a black baseball cap.

A worker at the Hugo Boss store on King Street said: "We heard a bang like a firework and people looked outside.

"There was a woman lying on the ground with people around her and a man running away on to Deansgate."

Big Issue seller Paul Dimelow, aged 42, said: "There was a guy walking past with a newspaper folded in his hand and as he went past a couple window shopping he dropped the paper and I heard a loud bang.

"I turned around and saw a woman staggering. There was blood running down the leg and I saw the guy take off."

Sid Stewart, aged 66, from Darwen, said: "I was just walking past and I heard this huge bang. Then a lady screamed and dropped to the floor.

"This guy who shot her said it was just a firework. He knelt down to pick something up and then he ran off."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Bootle Street CID on 0161 856 3240 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.