33.1 C
Delhi
Friday, March 29, 2024

Several injured after deadly Gun shooting outside London church

A seven-year-old girl has suffered life-threatening injuries in a suspected drive-by shooting outside a central London church.

A memorial service was being held at St Aloysius Church in Euston when shots were reportedly fired from a moving vehicle on Saturday afternoon.

The Met Police said a 12-year-old girl and four women aged 21, 41, 48 and 54 were also injured.

The 48-year-old man may have life-changing injuries, police said.

Three other women’s injuries are not life-threatening, and a 12-year-old girl was treated for a minor leg injury, the corps said.

The seven-year-old boy, who was taken to a central London hospital around 14:05 CET, “remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition”.

In a statement, the Met said an urgent investigation was underway and details of the incident were still emerging.

“No arrests have been made at this early stage,” it said.

Deputy Ed Wells said any shooting incident is “unacceptable, but for multiple people, including two children, to be injured in a shooting in the middle of a Saturday afternoon is shocking.” “Our thoughts are with all the victims, but especially with the seven-year-old girl. The investigation into this terrible attack is already underway,” he said.

“I can assure the communities in Camden and beyond that we will do everything in our power to identify and bring to justice those responsible.”

He added that there would be an “increased visible police presence” in the area over the weekend and in the following days.

Detectives have appealed for anyone with video footage or CCTV to contact the force.

Road closures were put in place and buses diverted to allow investigations to take place.

Father Jeremy Trood led the memorial service at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Aloysia just before the shooting happened.

He confirmed that the service was held for Sara Sanchez, 20, who died of leukemia, and her mother. They died within a month of each other in November.

Father Trood said: “I was inside the church. I heard a bang and people ran back to the church. They knew something had happened outside.

“They were very scared, people were hiding in the church until the police said they could leave, but some of them were so scared that they had to wait a while to get the confidence to go out.” A resident of the estate near the church, who did not want to give her name, said: “I heard gunshots.

“I was having a quiet day on my balcony and I heard this almighty bang and I thought this is not normal and the next minute everyone was screaming and shouting.

“The neighbors came and said there was a shooting. It’s a terrible thing.”

Photographer Simon Lamrock said when he first arrived at the church people were being evacuated through a side entrance.

“It’s a very busy area. All the locals have come to see what’s going on,” Mr Lamrock said.

“There was shock and surprise. That was the mood of people trying to figure out what happened.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, described the shooting as “deeply concerning” and said he was in close contact with the Met Police.

Most Popular Articles