Everything we know about Kent Valentine’s Day shooting which saw woman shot dead outside pub

The suspect is believed to have entered the Thames. A woman was shot dead on Valentine’s Day outside a popular pub in Kent, prompting a major investigation and a widespread search for the suspect. The victim, who has not yet been identified but is in her forties, was pronounced dead at the scene at the Three Horseshoes in the village of Knockholt, near Sevenoaks. In their latest update on Saturday evening, Kent Police said that they believed the suspect may have entered the water, while a gun was found in a car nearby.

Police were called to the pub just after 7pm on Friday after receiving reports of a shooting. Michelle Thomas, who runs the pub, told Sky News she was printing off menus and preparing for the Valentine's dinner service when she heard two loud bangs that she initially "thought were fireworks". "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,” she said.

At the time, around 30 people were at the pub for dinner, while 20 more were in the bar with the dinner service underway. Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, the woman was declared dead and her next of kin have been informed. The force said the suspect, believed to be known to the victim, left the area and a car and gun were later found at the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. Police later received reports of a man on the wrong side of the barrier. It has been reported that a Gravesend RNLI Lifeboat was tasked with searching the area by the HM Coastguard at around 10.25pm.

It is understood neither the suspect nor the victim was from Kent but had local connections to the area. Senior investigating officer detective chief inspector David Higham, 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.”. Local parish councillor Ray Picot told Kent Online that he heard “a couple of loud bangs” at 7pm. He added: “It’s a shock. We’ve never had anything like this. It’s a very busy pub – a great pub. It never has any trouble and is very well managed. “I understand those inside the pub were ushered back to their houses by police as they were all in terrible shock. It sounded awful.”.

Fellow parish councillor Steve Maines told the BBC he heard a “commotion” outside the venue and was told someone had been shot. He said: “We were sitting having our Valentine’s Day meal when all of a sudden we heard this huge commotion outside in the car park. “We were told someone had been shot so we had to leave.”. And Dorothy Wong, who lives in the village, said: “I heard around three to four bangs outside and loud shouting from a woman’s voice.”.