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A man who was shot twice when he tried to act as a peacemaker during a disturbance on the Andover estate last year has said he feels no animosity towards the man who fired a gun at him.

Gary Miller, 54, a resident of the estate in Finsbury Park, told the Tribune he is trying to move on with his life – despite suffering constant pain caused by one bullet still lodged in his leg – and does not want to be seen as a “hero”.

Speaking publicly about the shooting for the first time, Mr Miller, a youth worker, said: “I would be reluctant to accept being described as a hero. It was just about stepping in to stop a boy from getting hurt and to stop a crime. It could have been anyone’s child, it could’ve been mine.”

The 54-year-old was speaking after two men were jailed last Friday for their part in the disturbance which took place at a funeral wake on May 13.

Michael Otshudi, 37, of Highgate, was jailed for 18 months, and Joseph Smith, 27, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court. They had attended the wake with a group of unknown men.

However, police believe the man who opened fire is still at large.

People had gathered at the estate’s community centre for a wake to celebrate the life of a local man when running battles between groups of youngsters began outside.

Mr Miller said: “It didn’t feel right at the function, with the people who turned up. I was in the community centre [located in the middle of the estate] cleaning up. Then it got violent.”

Mr Miller said a group of young men set upon another youngster who had come into the community centre to get away from the disturbance.

“It was chaotic and surreal,” he said. “They were just in a confined space and I was shocked at the length to which they were going to hurt this young person.

“They surrounded him, and me and another person tried to stop it.”

Mr Miller’s back was turned when one of the men fired a gun twice, hitting the youth worker under his knee and just under his buttocks.

“I just looked at him. I couldn’t believe what he’d just done,” Mr Miller said. “It was close from behind and it was a cowardly thing to do.

“The altercation was going on outside long before and I think they went away and came back with a gun. It just caused absolute chaos.”

“There was lots of women still cleaning up and their kids, any of them could’ve got hurt.”

One of the bullets remains lodged in Mr Miller’s leg as doctors say it would be too risky to take it out at this stage.

He said: “It does hurt when I put my trousers on every morning, when I walk sometimes, when I sit down. It has affected me. It’s mental and physical. It’s hard to focus on work sometimes.”

However, he added: “At the end of the day, bygones are bygones. It’s not about revenge. I don’t have any malice or animosity towards them. I just wished they could’ve settled their differences and walked away from it without violence.

“These were older guys and they should’ve known better. I would’ve liked to have spoken to them to just ask them: ‘Why?’.

“It has changed my life and I haven’t really had closure. But you just got to get on with it. If I was asked: ‘Would you do it again?’ I would say yes.”

The incident has been linked to ongoing tensions related to the murder of 21-year-old painter and decorator Andrew Jaipaul on the estate in 2011.

Mr Miller added: “I’m worried that with summer coming it’s all going to start up again.”

At a previous hearing Otshudi pleaded guilty to violent disorder while Smith admitted possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and violent disorder.

Police are still appealing for information about the man who they believe opened fire and other members of the group.

They have released CCTV images of three men they would like to trace in connection with the shooting.