Residents told MyLondon how ‘shocked’ they were to hear there was a shooting in the area
Residents in Finchley have said how they were ‘shocked’ to wake up to news of a shooting in the area that left a 19-year-old woman dead.
On Monday (June 8) at around 12:15am, paramedics from the London Ambulance Service alerted police to reports of gunshots at a house in Dale Grove, Finchley. Despite the best efforts of emergency responders, a 19-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Today (Tuesday, June 9), forensic officers were still at the scene, conducting their investigations. MyLondon spoke to residents and shopkeepers in the area who said how ‘shocked’ they were when they heard about the shooting.
Yohel, 20 and Max, 19, were both at the cordon when they spoke to London. They had come down to see forensic officers, as they didn’t know anything about the shooting until today.
Yohel said: “We were in the shop and the shopkeepers said there was a shooting around the corner. We couldn’t believe it when he said that. We thought we’d come down and check it out. I only live a few minutes down the road and I’d never think this could happen. You’d expect a shooting to happen in other areas but not in Finchley; it’s so quiet around here.”
Max added: “We were shocked to hear there was a shooting. We thought we’d come down and check, since nothing like this has ever happened here. You might see stabbings but a shooting is pretty shocking. This stuff doesn’t happen in Finchley.”
Local shopkeeper Vik has been in Finchley for eight years, and this is the first time he has seen anything like this happen. He told MyLondon: “It’s a very nice area…We had never heard anything in this area, so it was a shock for us. It’s very rare for something like this to happen in this area of Finchley.”
Detective Chief Inspector Allam Bhangoo, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with the young woman’s family at this incredibly difficult time as they begin to come to terms with their loss.
“We understand the concern this incident will cause within the community. While our enquiries are ongoing, residents can expect to see an increased police presence over the coming days, and I encourage anyone with concerns to speak with officers.
“If you have any information that could assist our investigation – including any doorbell or dashcam footage from around midnight in or near to Dale Grove – please contact police via 101, quoting reference 34/8JUN.”
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