Woman shot dead at pub on Valentine’s night

A woman in her 40s has died after a shooting at a Kent pub.

She was shot at the Three Horseshoes in the village of Knockholt on Valentine’s Day evening, Kent Police said.

Later in the evening police searching for the killer found a vehicle containing a gun on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge – which crosses the River Thames at nearby Dartford.

The suspect was a man who knew the victim, police said.

Kent Police officers were called to the pub near Sevenoaks at just after 7pm on Friday.

It added: “Officers attended the scene along with South East Coast Ambulance Service where a woman in her 40s had suffered injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

A police cordon outside the Three Horseshoes pub (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

“She was declared deceased at the scene and a murder investigation is under way. Her next of kin has been informed.

“As part of inquiries, officers attended the Dartford Crossing where a vehicle linked to the incident was recovered, alongside a firearm.

“Inquiries are ongoing to identify and locate all persons potentially involved.”

Local parish councillor Ray Picot told Kent Online that he heard “a couple of loud bangs” at 7pm.

He added: “It’s a shock. We’ve never had anything like this. It’s a very busy pub – a great pub. It never has any trouble and is very well managed.

“I understand those inside the pub were ushered back to their houses by police as they were all in terrible shock. It sounded awful.”

A forensic officer at work (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

Fellow parish councillor Steve Maines told the BBC he heard a “commotion” outside the venue, and was told someone had been shot.

He said: “We were sitting having our Valentine’s Day meal when all of a sudden we heard this huge commotion outside in the car park.

“We were told someone had been shot so we had to leave.”

And Dorothy Wong, who lives in the village, said: “I heard around three to four bangs outside and loud shouting from a woman’s voice.”