Pub landlady speaks out after woman shot dead on Valentine’s Day by man ‘known' to victim
The landlady of a pub where a woman was shot dead on Valentine's Day has spoken out about the situation.
A woman thought to be in her 40s was shot on 14 February at the Three Horseshoes pub in the Kent village of Knockholt.
The victim has since been identified as 43 year old Lisa Smith from Slough.
Police were called to the pub just after 7pm on Valentine's Day and attended along with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, though the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
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A murder investigation was launched, with the suspect being a man who officers believe the victim knew, and a vehicle containing a gun was found on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge which spans the River Thames.
Police later received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier and investigators believe he may have entered the water.
Pub landlady Michelle Thomas explained that when the shooting happened, she thought it was fireworks at first, and that people started 'screaming, shouting, crying' when they realised what had actually happened.
Speaking to Sky News, she said that she'd been busy printing off menus and getting things ready for the Valentine's Day dinner service when she heard two loud bangs, which she at first mistook for fireworks.
She said: "There was so much commotion - screaming, shouting, crying. People were outside, on their phones. We tried to get people inside the pub to consolidate them.
"People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening."
Thomas explained that an off-duty police officer had been in the pub and had been 'amazing' at getting the situation under control with around 30 people sitting down for dinner and another 20 at the bar.
The landlady said that Smith, who was shot and killed at the Three Horseshoes, had been to the pub before 'mostly in the summer', but 'wasn't a regular'.
Flowers have been laid outside the pub for Smith and the murder investigation is ongoing.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector David Higham, said at the weekend that they were looking into one suspect and don't believe the rest of the public are at risk.
He 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.”
Joe Harker