Woman dies from gunshot wounds after being ‘held hostage’ in hour-long police stand-off

Police open murder investigation following incident in Dartford, Kent, as suspect remains in critical condition

Police at the scene on Priory Road, Dartford (PA)

A woman has died in hospital after she was shot while police engaged in a stand-off with a man in Kent.

Armed police and a trained negotiator were scrambled to a terraced house in Priory Road, Dartford, at 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon following reports of a disturbance.

The woman was taken to a London hospital suffering from shots from a handgun and passed away on Monday evening.

Announcing the 36-year-old’s death on Tuesday, the force said the case is now being treated as murder. The suspect, a 29-year-old man, remains in hospital in critical condition with gunshot wounds.

Witnesses said locals were ordered to stay inside their homes as officers cordoned off the street before smashing through the front door of the property and going inside.

After an hour-long stand-off which saw a police negotiator attempt to defuse the situation, neighbours heard what they said sounded like two rounds of gunshots.

Witnesses who lived nearby claimed the woman was “held hostage” at the back of the property.

One woman, who wished not to be named, described the scene as “chilling”.

“I was in the house and my husband and two girls were out – they couldn’t get back home,” she said.

“I went out and was told ‘get back – you must stay indoors’. I went to the garden where I could see more.”

Police officers were involved in an hour long standoff (PA)

About an hour after police entered the property, she said she heard gunshots before a person was carried out on a stretcher.

“It was pandemonium”, she said. “I heard five gunshots – a pause and then another five.”

The murder investigation is being led by Kent and Essex Police serious crime directorate.

A force spokesman said: “An investigation into a firearms incident at a property in Dartford is now being treated as murder after the victim died in hospital.

“Officers, along with a trained police negotiator, attended and attempted to engage with a man inside the address.

“Firearms officers also attended and whilst they were at the scene, a 36-year-old woman suffered injuries believed to have been caused by a handgun and she was taken to a London hospital.

“The victim died from her injuries shortly before the evening of May 8. The man, aged 29, was also taken to hospital with a firearms injury and he remains in a critical condition.

“He is being treated as the suspect and an investigation is being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.”

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Kent Police on 01474 366149, quoting reference 46/80922/23, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously online or on 0800 5551111.