Neighbours of a woman who died after she was taken hostage by an armed gunman in Dartford have praised her as “lovely”.
The 36-year-old, named locally as Hayley, was rushed to a London hospital on Saturday where she died from her injuries days later.
Armed officers, along with a trained police negotiator, were called to the disturbance at a home in Priory Road.
The gunman, 29, was also rushed to the hospital with a firearms injury and remains in critical condition.
He is being treated as a suspect as the investigation has shifted from a firearms incident to a murder investigation.
A neighbour described how she watched the scene unfold from her window and said she heard several gunshots and saw smoke coming from the garage.
She told KentLive: “All of the sudden we heard a commotion going on. The next minute we heard shots. I saw three armed policemen [approach the garage]."
A couple, who knew the woman, described her as a “lovely woman” and were both saddened to hear about her death.
The 46-year-old dad who did not want to be named said: “She used to work at my kid’s school years ago.
“I’ve known her for years. She was a beautiful looking girl. It’s awful, especially on our doorstep, it scared a lot of people around here.
“But it’s terrible, this area has gone right downhill."
The mum, who said her kids were outside when it happened, added: “My son, 14, recognised her and said ‘she really helped me’.
“She always helped him and was never rude.”
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, had just come back from King Charles III’s Coronation to find the road blocked off.
He said: “I couldn’t get down from that end, and I went down to that end, and then I heard the shots, and police were telling everyone to get behind the walls.
“It was worrying because I hadn’t heard what was going on. I just heard rumours from the neighbours.
“I just heard someone died.”
He said it is normally a quiet road, adding: “I’m embarrassed to tell people, because there’s been a shooting in your road, they think you live in a rough estate but it’s not, it’s a nice road.”
When asked whether he still feels safe in the area, he said: “Yes. The police came and knocked on the door the following day, just to try and reassure everybody.”
Another neighbour said she was not at home when it happened but was “shocked”.
Kent Police referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “On Saturday (6 May) we were notified by Kent Police about a firearms incident in Dartford, where a woman and a man sustained serious injuries. We have now been advised that sadly the woman involved has died.
"Today we received a mandatory referral from Kent Police regarding this incident, which we are assessing to determine whether any further action is required from us.”
