Tributes have been paid to a “caring” mother-of-two shot dead during a siege at her home.
Hayley Burke, 36, died in hospital after she was shot while police engaged in a stand-off with a man in Dartford, Kent at the weekend.
Armed police and a trained negotiator were scrambled to a terraced house in Priory Road at 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon following reports of a disturbance.
The woman was taken to a London hospital suffering from shots from a handgun and died on Monday evening.
Announcing Ms Burke’s death on Tuesday, the force said the case is now being treated as murder. The suspect, a 29-year-old man, remains in hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds.
Flowers and messages for Ms Burke have since been laid at the scene of the incident, while a friend paid tribute to her.
“Hayley was the loudest friend in the group and never failed to have everyone laughing,” the unnamed friend said.
“Hayley loved her children with every inch of her heart. Everything she did was for her boys - they were her life.
“Hayley would do anything for anybody but wasn’t afraid to tell you if you took the mick.
“She was so brutally honest - it was one of her best character traits. If you wanted an honest opinion you would always ask Hayley.”
The friend said Ms Burke left behind two children, adding: “Her space in our lives will never be filled. She didn’t deserve any of this. She had so much love and life to give.”
Other residents in Priory Road described hearing gunshots after being told to stay in their homes.
Witnesses said after a stand-off which lasted about an hour “pandemonium” broke out and said the woman had been “held hostage” by a man at the back of the property.
One woman, who wished not to be named, said it was “chilling”.
Another, who lived across the road, said: “I didn’t see what was happening but I heard a lot of gunshots.”
A murder investigation is now being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting reference 46/80922/23, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously online or on 0800 5551111.
