Woman taken hostage dies after being shot during hour-long police standoff

A woman has died after being taken hostage and shot during an hour-long standoff with police.

Officers from Kent Police were called to a home in Dartford, Kent, at 12:40pm on Saturday (May 6) after receiving reports of a serious disturbance.

The Mirror reportsthat a 29-year-old man inside the property held a 36-year-old woman hostage, who was found with injuries understood to be from a handgun.

Police officers, as well as a trained negotiator, attended the tragic scene and tried to engage with the man in the home.

Armed police also attended the scene, which is understood to have taken place at the woman’s house

The 36-year-old sadly died from her injuries last night (May 8) after she was rushed to a London hospital shortly after the hostage situation.

The man, who remains in critical condition in the hospital following a firearms injury, is being treated as a suspect as the investigation has shifted from a firearms incident to a murder investigation.

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: "An investigation into a firearms incident at a property in Dartford is now being treated as murder after the victim died in hospital.

"Kent Police was called at 12.40pm on Saturday 6 May 2023, to a report of a disturbance at a property in Priory Road, Dartford.

"Officers, along with a trained police negotiator, attended and attempted to engage with a man inside the address.

"Firearms officers also attended and whilst they were at the scene, a 36-year-old woman suffered injuries believed to have been caused by a handgun and she was taken to a London hospital.

"The victim died from her injuries shortly before the evening of Monday 8 May.

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"The man, aged 29, was also taken to hospital with a firearms injury and he remains in a critical condition.

"He is being treated as the suspect and an investigation is being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate."

Kent Police has now referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for further investigations.

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