A woman in her 40s was shot dead in an incident on Valentine’s Day at the Three Horseshoes in Knockholt, Kent, and the landlady has described hearing the horrifying gunshots
The landlady of a pub has described the sound of a woman being shot dead on Valentine’s Day as like “fireworks” as two bangs were heard.
Police continue to search for the suspect following the shooting, which took place outside the Three Horseshoes on Main Road, Knockholt in Kent. A woman in her 40s died at the scene. On Saturday, police tape and tarpaulins covered the area where diners had been enjoying Valentine’s meals before the incident. Today, Michelle Thomas, who runs The Three Horseshoes, told Sky News: “People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening.”
“There was so much commotion – screaming, shouting, crying. People were outside, on their phones. We tried to get people inside the pub to consolidate them.” She added the gunshots sounded “like fireworks”. She described how an off-duty firearms officer intervened to get the situation under control and how the victim had been to the pub before but “wasn’t a regular”.
Kent Police said the suspect, believed to be known to the victim, left the area before a car and gun were found at the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. Both were seized by police who later received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier, and believe he may have entered the water.
Steve Maines, a parish councillor in Knockholt, told the BBC: “We were sitting having our Valentine’s Day meal when all of a sudden we heard this huge commotion outside in the car park. We were told someone had been shot so we had to leave.”
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector David Higham said on Saturday: “Call handlers received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier and we are not ruling out the possibility that he may have entered the water.
“We are currently only looking for one suspect and do not believe there to be an ongoing risk to the public. Specialist officers continue to work with the families of both parties involved to support them following this tragic incident.”