Woman killed in London triple shooting named

A woman who was fatally shot in a triple shooting outside a church in north-west London on Saturday night has been named by the Met Police as Michelle Sadio.

The 44-year-old died at the scene after being found with serious injuries when officers were called out to reports of shots being fired at about 21:15 GMT in Gifford Road, Harlesden.

Two men in their 30s sustained serious injuries - one of them remains in a critical condition.

There have been no arrests so far.

Ms Sadio has not yet been formally identified but the Met has said it is confident about her identity.

Her family are being supported by specialist officers, the force said.

The BBC understands the shooting happened after a gathering at the River of Life Elim Pentecostal Church on Gifford Road.

The building and surrounding area remains cordoned off as police investigations continue.

One local resident told the BBC the sound of "people screaming" could be heard coming from the direction of the church.

Others said they heard what they thought were fireworks being let off as the incident unfolded.

Another resident said he heard five gunshots in a row.

Local MP Dawn Butler, who represents Brent East, said the incident "really has devastated the community".

She told BBC London: "Everyone we speak to has got tears in their eyes - it's really very tragic.

"Some feel like they want to move, some feel that they just need reassurance that it's safe to be around here - and it really is a close community, so neighbours talk to each other they smile they have a joke, so it's a shame that something like this has happened."

Susan Jones told the BBC she had recently moved to the area with her partner and sons.

She described the incident as shocking and worrying.

She added: "Having three boys already, raising them is tricky anyway...but the area counts a lot... it kind of made me feel a bit shaken and insecure about the whole thing."

The Met's Supt Tony Josephs described the shooting as "truly shocking".

He added that it was likely to cause concern in the local area and said he hoped witnesses would come forward.

"I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events and identify whoever was responsible for this heinous act of violence," he said.

Ms Sadio is believed to be the first female victim of fatal gun crime in London since 43-year-old Hackney mother Lianne Gordon was shot dead through her front door in December last year.

Ms Gordon was the only woman to die as a result of gun crime in London between 2019-2023 - a period in which 55 men were killed in this way.

While gun crime against females remains rare, notable recent non-fatal incidents include the shooting of an eight-year-old girl in Ladbroke Grove in November and that of a nine-year-old girl in Dalston in May.

Additional reporting by Freddy Tennyson.

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