Inside horror of funeral shooting as terrified mourners flee into church as girl, 7, gunned down with shotgun | The Sun

TERRIFIED mourners fled inside a church as a girl aged seven was gunned down, footage shows.

Frightened screams of "oh my God" are heard by the crowds as they rushed in for safety following the drive-by shooting.

One person shouted "we need to get out", another said "get to the back" and a third told people to "sit down".

Police this morning revealed that the shooters fired a shotgunat the crowd in the attack. Officers are hunting a black Toyota.

The seven-year-old is in a stable but life-threatening condition. Another girl aged 12 suffered a leg injury but has been discharged from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

A woman, 48, suffered life-changing injuries. Women aged 21, 41, and 58, were also hurt in the attack.

READ MORE UK NEWS

Shooters who gunned down girl, 7, fired shotgun at crowd outside funeral

Girl, 7, fighting for live & 5 injured after car ‘shot at mourners’

Met Police superintendent Jack Rowlands said: "They were the victims of a senseless act of violence."

Now, a manhunt is underway to catch the attacker. It is thought the gunman wanted to target a man attending a funeral service with the victims as part of a revenge attack.

The victims were blasted when the gunman opened fire from a car going past the memorial near Euston station, central London, yesterday.

A man is said to have jumped out of a car and started firing as white doves, a symbol of peace, were released at the service.

Most read in The Sun

A witness said a suspect was then chased by armed police into the nearby station.

One woman from the funeral last night told the Mail on Sunday: "People are saying the intended target of the shooting was a man who attended the service.

"There's speculation that it was some sort of revenge attack."

Rev Jeremy Trood, who conducted the funeral service, told The Sun on Sunday: "There must’ve been around 350 mourners and as they were leaving there was this enormous bang outside and they all started rushing back inside screaming.

"There was one lady lying on the ground who appeared to be badly injured."

One mourner, Jaouida Ifghallal, said: “It was a lovely service.

"When the service finished, we were outside to see the flying of doves.

"A black car came and started to shoot bullets. It was chaotic.”

Another witness who took refuge in the church added: “It was horrible.

"No one knew if it was a bomb or gunman. We were looking for places to hide. We all just snuggled into corners where we could."

Yesterday's service was a celebration of Colombian Fresia Calderon, 50, and daughter Sara Sanchez, 20, who had leukaemia.

They died within days of each other in November. Fresia suffered a pulmonary embolism which caused her to fatally collapse in front of Sara when getting off a flight at Heathrow.

Last night Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “I am deeply concerned by the shocking shooting incident in Euston this afternoon, which has sadly involved a seven-year-old girl and several women.

“My thoughts are with them and their families.

“The Met Police have my full support to conduct a thorough investigation and catch those responsible for this terrible crime.”

Some 12 police cars plus six ambulances and an air ambulance rushed to the area after the attack.

The Met confirmed all six victims were shot.

Injuries to the women were not life-threatening, but police said the 48-year-old’s were potentially life-changing.

The 12-year-old was taken to hospital with a minor leg injury, and was later discharged.

Superintendent 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.

SHOOTING HORROR

“Our thoughts are with all the victims, but in particular with the seven-year-old girl who is in a life threatening condition and with her family.

“An investigation into this dreadful attack is already well under way involving local officers and specialist detectives.

"I can assure the communities of Camden and beyond that we will do everything we possibly can to identify and bring to justice those who were responsible.

“Local residents can expect to see an increased visible police presence in the area through the weekend and into the days ahead as we progress this investigation.

“I would urge anyone with information to come forward, either to the police or anonymously, to Crimestoppers.”

A hunt is under way for the culprits, who were in a blacked-out car. 

The Met said “initial inquiries suggest the shots were fired from a moving vehicle”. 

Former Met cop Ali Hassan Ali, 40, claimed that a balaclava-wearing youth ran off and was chased by police.

Yesterday’s funeral was a celebration of the lives of Colombian Fresia Calderon, 50, and her daughter Sara Sanchez, 20, who had leukaemia.

Fresia suffered a pulmonary embolism which caused her to fatally collapse in front of Sara after getting off a flight at Heathrow in November.

No arrests have yet been made over yesterday’s attack, which happened in Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency.

He said he was  “deeply shocked” and urged anyone with information to come forward.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: “This is a deeply distressing incident. My thoughts are with those who were injured and their families.”

But Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, an ex-Tory minister and former deputy mayor for policing in the capital, slammed the Labour mayor.

He said: “London used to be one of the safest global cities but under Sadiq Khan our capital has become like Dodge City.

Read More on The Sun

I’m the world’s best boss – I gave employee HALF my lottery jackpot for helping me

Shoppers go wild for Home Bargains shampoo that’s £10 cheaper than elsewhere

“Why are the guns back on the streets in such large numbers?”

The incident follows the murders of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, nine, last year in Liverpool and beautician Elle Edwards, 26, in a pub in Wallasey, Merseyside, on Christmas Eve.

Source: Read Full Article