Kent pub shooting suspect ‘may have entered river’, police say

The suspect in the fatal shooting of a woman at a pub in Kent “may have entered the water” at the Dartford Crossing, police have said.

A woman in her 40s died after a shooting at the Three Horseshoes in the village of Knockholt on Valentine’s Day evening, Kent Police said.

The force said the suspect, believed to be known to the victim, left the area and a car and gun were later found at the Queen Elizabeth II bridge.

Police later received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier.

Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector David Higham, said: “Call handlers received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier and we are not ruling out the possibility that he may have entered the water.

“We are currently only looking for one suspect and do not believe there to be an ongoing risk to the public.

“Specialist officers continue to work with the families of both parties involved to support them following this tragic incident.”

It is understood neither the suspect or victim were from Kent but had local connections to the area.

Officers were called to the pub near Sevenoaks at just after 7pm on Friday, where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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.”

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.”

Published: 15/02/2025 by Radio NewsHub