Suspects fired a shotgun from a moving car at mourners outside a church in north London in an attack that left a seven-year-old girl in a life-threatening condition, the Met police said.
Officers said multiple people were injured by shotgun pellets fired from a black Toyota near a memorial service for a young woman who died of cancer and her mother.
Supt Jack Rowlands said four women and two children were injured outside St Aloysius Church on Phoenix Road in Euston. He described the attack as “senseless act of violence”.
He said: “Four women, aged 21, 41, 48 and 54, were taken to central London hospitals. Thankfully their injuries were assessed as non-life threatening. The 48-year-old woman has sustained potentially life-changing injuries.
“Two children were also injured. A 12-year-old girl sustained a leg injury. She was treated at hospital before being discharged yesterday afternoon. She is expected to make a full recovery.
“A seven-year-old girl was more seriously injured. She remains in hospital in a stable but life-threatening condition, and our thoughts are with her and her family.
“We believe the suspects discharged a shotgun from a moving vehicle, which was a black Toyota C-HR, likely a 2019 model or similar.”
It is understood that police believe it was a targeted attack. About 120 people are said to have attended the memorial.
The church sits between two mainline stations in the capital – Euston and King’s Cross – and has a high level of CCTV coverage, which is being secured and examined. Detectives are also using ANPR technology to track the Toyota’s movements before and after the attack.
The shooting sent mourners running and screaming, with many people sheltering inside the church, witnesses said.
Father Jeremy Trood, who conducted the service, confirmed it was a requiem mass for Sara Sanchez, 20, and her mother, Fresia Calderon, 50, who died within weeks of each other in November.
Sanchez reportedly suffered from leukaemia for three years before succumbing to the disease after her mother died suddenly from a rare blood clot on arrival at Heathrow airport from Colombia.
Trood said the attack took place at the end of the service on Saturday as mourners went outside to watch doves being released. He said: “I was inside the church. I heard the bang and people ran back into the church. They knew something had happened outside.”
He said people were “very scared”, telling BBC News: “I remember the screams and shouts, and the people who were making their way out of the church all coming back in. There was confusion as people were getting away from the windows and doors.”
One resident of an estate across the road from the church, who did not want to be named, said: “I heard the gunshots. I was having a quiet day on my balcony and I heard this almighty bang and I thought this was not normal, and the next minute everyone was screaming and shouting.”
Police are searching for the suspects and the car used in the attack, with the Met’s specialist crime command leading the investigation, Rowlands said.
He added: “This was a shocking incident. People came here to attend a funeral, to be with friends and loved ones and mourn together. Instead, they were the victims of a senseless act of violence.
“We know it would have had a significant impact on communities across Camden and we will have a visible police presence in the local area in the coming days and weeks to provide extra reassurance, and as your neighbourhood superintendent I will ensure that will be happening.”
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This is a deeply distressing incident and my thoughts are with those who were injured and their families.”
He urged anyone with information to contact the police or Crimestoppers.
