Detectives are investigating possible gang links to a shooting that left a woman dead and two people wounded in east London on Tuesday, just days after shots were fired on the same road.
Tributes have been left to Lianne Gordon, 42, who was described as a “beautiful soul” in a card left near the scene. A murder investigation has been launched, but no arrests have been made.
Officers were called to Vine Close in Hackney just before 6.30pm on Tuesday, where they found Gordon, 42, dead at the scene. A 20-year-old man and a boy, 16, were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No weapon has been recovered.
Reading a statement near the scene on Wednesday afternoon, DCS James Conway said police were looking into the motive and a possible connection to earlier reports of gunshots.
He said officers were called to an incident on the same road on 2 December after residents reported the sound of guns being fired. Shell casings were found at the scene, but the Met said there was no evidence leading to a victim or suspect.
Conway did not say whether Gordon was supposed to be the target, but it is believed police are investigating the possibility that her killing was not intentional. Police said the trio are believed to have known one another, but were not related.
He added: “It is important that we keep an open mind regarding motive. And we will follow the evidence. It is too early in this investigation to comment further on motive. So we are considering the possibility that this was gang-linked.
“We are also aware of a recent incident in which police were again called to shots being fired in Vine Close on the evening of Saturday 2 December.”
It is understood that other people were present at the address besides the three victims at the time of the shooting.
Detectives on Wednesday had no clear reasons why those shot were targeted but a “gang related motive” is being considered.
The Met specialist crime command is investigating the “separate incident”, and Conway confirmed that “one of our lines of inquiry is to determine whether these two incidents are linked”.
A card and several bouquets of flowers were left at the edge of the cordon on Wednesday morning. A message in the card read: “To Lianne. Such a beautiful soul. Gone too soon. Love to all the family. xxx.”
A neighbour, who preferred not to be named, said they heard gunshots and screams. Shohid Auddin, another nearby resident, told reporters that Lianne had been a friendly neighbour and “always smiling”.
He added: “She was very nice and chatty. She talked to us all the time. My mum doesn’t speak English, but they understood each other. She had two children – my youngest daughter was the same age as hers. She used to talk to everybody. I never saw her upset.”
Official figures show that 97 homicides have been recorded in London this year, including the Hackney shooting, compared with 103 killings in 2022. Eight people have been shot dead, compared with 10 last year, and 62 have died after being stabbed as against 70 last year.
Twenty-one teenagers have been killed so far this year, compared with 14 in 2022 and 30 in 2021.
Caroline Woodley, who was recently elected mayor of Hackney, described the incident as “absolutely heartbreaking”. In a statement, she said: “I just want to say this is an absolutely heartbreaking incident and my thoughts and everyone’s at the council are with the loved ones of Lianne and of the other injured victims.
“We are working with the police to support the families of the victims and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. We are also working with local schools and community groups to offer any support they need.
“While instances like this are thankfully rare in Hackney, we know that the community will be shocked worried and distressed.”
