A manhunt has been launched after a woman was killed and two men injured in a triple shooting in north-west London on Saturday night.
At around 9.15pm, police were called to Gifford Road, Harlesden, where a woman believed to be in her 40s was pronounced dead.
Two men, both in their 30s, were also injured. One is in hospital in a critical condition, while the other has non life-threatening injuries, the Metropolitan Police said.
A cordon was in place at the junction of Gifford Road and Creukhorne Road on Sunday morning, with several officers posted at the scene.
The three victims were mourners gunned down in a drive-by attack after attending a wake, a church leader has claimed.
Pastor Lawrence Larbie, from the River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church, said there was a wake going on inside the church that was due to end just before 10pm.
“It turns out three people have been hit by a drive-by shooting,” Pastor Lawrence told MyLondon.
“The whole place was surrounded by police. One person shot in the back, we heard. People tended to them before the ambulance arrived. The car just drove through. The victims were people attending the wake. They were probably on their way home.”
He added: “It was pandemonium in the building. They came with very deadly, evil intentions to cause death,” he said.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said they heard five gunshots in quick succession.
A woman who lives in the road said her daughter had come home just 10 minutes before the shooting, adding: “My daughter came through the door 10 minutes before it happened. My son thought there were fireworks, then I heard my neighbour screaming and I realised there was a shooting.
“It’s crazy, it’s sad. It’s scary – it does not feel safe. I’ve lived here since 2008, and I’ve never heard anything like this before.”
Another resident of the road said: “We heard the shooting sound, and we thought it was fireworks. We didn’t expect there would be a gun here. People came out of the church, they were at a wake, and they saw the bodies on the ground. I heard a lot of crying and screaming.”
Superintendent Tony Josephs, from the North West Command Unit, which covers Brent, said: “This is a truly shocking incident, and I understand the concern this will cause the local community and those across London.
“I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night and identify whoever was responsible for this heinous act of violence.
“If you were in or around Gifford Road at the time of the shooting, or have any information about who was responsible, please get in contact with us. A family has been left devastated, and we need to work together to provide them with answers.”
No arrests have been made, and inquiries continue.
