A man was on Monday being questioned by detectives over a drive-by shooting outside a Camden memorial service that left a seven-year-old girl fighting for her life and injured four women and another girl.
The man, 22, who has not been named, was held after police stopped a car in Cricklewood Lane, Barnet, on Sunday.
His arrest came as police continued to appeal for more information about the “shocking” shooting outside St Aloysius Church in Somers Town, near Euston station, on Saturday which left mourners screaming in horror and scrambling to escape the gunfire. Police have given no indication of the suspected motive but reports on Monday suggested that it might be linked to the activities of a Colombian drugs cartel.
More than 300 friends and family had gathered to mark the loss of Fresia Calderon, 50, who died in November of a suspected blood clot after arriving at Heathrow on a flight from Colombia, and her daughter Sara Sanchez, 20, who died three weeks later from leukaemia. But it turned into a scene of horror when shots were fired at mourners outside the Roman Catholic church from a black Toyota carrying an unknown number of attackers.
Four women, aged 21, 41, 48 and 54, and the two girls were injured with the 48-year-old suffering what police said were “potentially life changing injuries” and the seven-year-old left initially in a life-threatening condition. She was o Monday said to be in a “serious but stable” condition as her hospital treatment, which is expected to be extensive, continued.
Ms Calderon’s former husband, Carloz Arturo Sanchez-Coronado, was jailed in 2009 at Southwark crown court after being extradited here for laundering cash as a “money deliverer” for a London drugs gang connected to Colombia’s infamous Cali cartel.
He was sentenced to five and a half years, with other members of the gang also jailed, and although he returned to Colombia after his release there was speculation on Monday that the shooting could have been carried out as a reprisal directed at someone attending the service. Video footage taken during the attack shows mourners screaming in panic and trying to flee the church as the gunfire erupted on Saturday at about 1.30pm.
Father Jeremy Trood, who led the memorial service, said people were “very scared” and still reluctant to leave even after police arrived and told them that it was safe to do so. He was leading prayers on Monday at the church for the victims and urged the congregation to keep in their thoughts “those injured in Saturday’s incident”.
He added: “We were having a memorial service. It was very uplifting. Then I heard the bang and shouting and screaming. There was pandemonium in the church. Someone said there had been a shooting. People were running back into the church. This is small residential enclave... we’ve never had anything like this. Today I tried to make it business as usual at mass. People are quite shaken.”
The prayers took place as police removed a cordon from around the crime scene.
Detectives have collected CCTV footage and forensics officers gathered evidence. One parishioner said: “We are in deep shock. It’s a tragedy. We are praying for those who were hurt. Why anyone would target a funeral I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, whose constituency includes the church, said that tougher laws on gun ownership might be needed.
He said he had been in “constant contact with police” and involved in intelligence briefings over the weekend and told LBC that he was “pleased” that “the police have been able to act relatively quickly” in their investigation.
He added that illegal ownership of guns was already subject to criminal law but that other incidents had shown that the rules might not be tight enough. “We’ve had these incidents from time to time with guns, there was one down in Plymouth last year, and every time there is evidence, which I am concerned about, that people have access to guns that they shouldn’t have access to. I think that we need to look again as to whether those laws are strong enough,” Sir Keir said.
Police said the investigation was continuing on Monday and Met Superintendent Jack Rowlands appealed for witnesses to come forward.
“We believe the suspects discharged a shotgun from a moving vehicle, which was a black Toyota C-HR, likely a 2019 model or similar,” he said.
“This was a shocking incident. People came here to attend a funeral, to be with friends and loved ones and to mourn together. Instead they were the victims of a senseless act of violence.”
“We are doing everything we can to identify and bring to justice those who were responsible for this attack, but we also need the public’s help.
“We want to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information about it. Your information could be vitally important, no matter how insignificant you think it may be.”
