Lisa Smith, 43, from Slough, was killed in Knockholt, Kent near The Three Horseshoes pub just after 7pm on Friday. Police believe a suspect later fell from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford Crossing after the shooting
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Kent shooting: CCTV captures sound of gunshots outside Knockholt pub
A man suspected of fatally shooting a woman outside a pub on Valentine’s Day called friends to tell them about the attack hours after it took place, according to new reports.
Lisa Smith, 43, from Slough, was killed in Knockholt, Kent near The Three Horseshoes pub just after 7pm on Friday. Police believe a suspect later fell from the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford Crossing after the shooting. Police said a car and gun were found near the bridge, and searches were still underway to recover them from the water.
Police say they are in search of a man “known to the victim” who has also been named locally as her husband, Edvard Stockings. His body has not been found after more than three days of searches along the river.
Edvard Stockings reportedly called Leslie Thompson less than two hours after the shooting, telling him: “She’s dead, I love you. I’ll see you on the other side,” according to the BBC.
Mr Thompson said his phone rang at about 20.50pm that evening, and Mr Stockings told him: “I can’t live, we’ve all gone together” and that “armed police will probably shoot me”.
He said he had known Mr Stockings for more than 30 years and that the shooting was out of character. He added: “They were both the life and soul of the party. We really don’t know why he has done it. I’m baffled.” He also said Mr Stockings was “unbelievably close” to his father and had been deeply affected by his death two years ago.
Meanwhile, floral tributes to Lisa continue to appear at the scene outside the pub, and family members described her as a “great woman” who was “happy” with her life. Two women who said they were relatives went to the scene to pay tribute and described Lisa as a “great woman”.
One said: “She was a wonderful mum, a beautiful woman – they’d just had a granddaughter, they had everything going for them. I just can’t understand what happened, they were so happy. We know them from Lingfield, we’re family, my son grew up with theirs.”
The landlady of The Three Horseshoes Michelle Thomas described customers “screaming, shouting and crying” as they realised what had happened. She told Sky News that she was preparing for the Valentine’s dinner service when she heard two loud bangs that she initially thought were fireworks.
About 30 people were at the pub for dinner, while 20 more were in the bar as the incident unfolded just after 7pm, she said. “People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening,” she told Sky. She also described how an off-duty firearms officer intervened to get the situation under control.