East Finchley shooting: Manhunt after man and woman shot dead in London

Police hunting for attacker after both victims pronounced dead at scene

Police at the scene of a double shooting in East Finchley, London, on 15 September (Milagros Remersaro)

A man and a woman have been shot dead in north London, sparking a manhunt for a gunman who remains on the run.

Police were called to Elmshurst Crescent in East Finchley shortly before 6.30am on Thursday and found the two victims inside a flat.

The unnamed man and woman were a 52-year-old mother, who had nine children, and her 21-year-old nephew, Sky News reported.

Residents were woken by at least three ambulances and five police cars arriving at the incident, with emergency services cordoning off the road.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said a man and a woman with gunshot wounds were pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, adding: "Enquiries into the circumstances continue."

The Homicide and Major Crime Command have opened an investigation and no arrests have been made.

The London Ambulance Service said it was called at 6.22am and sent three ambulances, a paramedic and incident response officer, as well as the London Air Ambulance.

A spokesperson told The Independent she could not confirm whether the victims were alive when medics arrived.

Scotland Yard has recorded 1,958 gun crime incidents in London in the past year - a 2 per cent annual rise - including 79 in the borough of Barnet, which includes East Finchley.

Five murders were recorded in the borough during the same period, out of a London-wide total of 106.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.