A woman shot dead in a car park on Valentine’s Day had been enjoying a drink in the hours before her death, a pub landlady has revealed.
Michelle Thomas, who runs The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt, said the victim had been in the pub earlier on what was a busy Friday night.
Kent Police has launched a murder investigation after the woman, who was in her 40s, was shot outside the pub, near the upmarket commuter town of Sevenoaks.
The suspect, a man believed to be known to the victim, left the area, and police enquiries are ongoing to locate him.
The landlady told Sky News that she was printing menus when she heard what sounded like fireworks at around 7pm as customers began to arrive.
"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. People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening," she said on Sunday.
Around 30 people were in the pub at the time, and Ms Thomas praised police for doing an “amazing job” in handling the situation and keeping those in the vicinity calm.
The victim’s next of kin have been informed, and flowers have been left in the car park.
As part of their enquiries, officers attended the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, where a car linked to the incident was recovered. A gun was also found inside the vehicle and has been seized.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector David Higham said: “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.”
