A man whose body was pulled from a river after his wife was shot dead outside a pub in Kent on Valentine’s Day has been formally identified. Edward Smith, who also used the surname Stockings, was found in the River Thames in Rainham, Essex, on March 7, Kent Police said.
His car was found abandoned near the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford in the hours after the shooting, and investigators believe he entered the water there. A gun was found inside the car.
It is not yet clear whether the gun was legally owned. Lisa Smith, also 43, from Slough, was shot near The Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt where she had met a friend on February 14.
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The landlady of The Three Horseshoes Michelle Thomas described customers “screaming, shouting and crying” as they realised what had happened. She told Sky News that she was preparing for the Valentine’s dinner service when she heard two loud bangs that she initially thought were fireworks.
About 30 people were at the pub for dinner, while 20 more were in the bar as the incident unfolded just after 7pm, she said. “People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening,” she told Sky.
A full inquest into Lisa’s death will be held in September.
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