Girl, 7, has life-threatening injuries after shooting at double funeral in London

A seven-year-old girl is in hospital with life-threatening injuries following a shooting outside a joint funeral in north London, the Metropolitan police have said.

A second child, a 12-year-old girl, was taken to hospital with a minor leg injury but has now been discharged.

Officers also said three women – aged 48, 54 and 41 – were taken to hospital after the incident on Saturday afternoon in Phoenix Road, close to Euston station.

Detectives said it happened in the vicinity of a church, where a double funeral for a mother and daughter who died within days of each other was taking place. Officers said the shots were believed to have been fired from a moving vehicle.

The women’s injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, but the 48-year-old suffered a potentially life-changing injury. Police later said a 21-year-old woman was also in hospital but they were awaiting updates on her condition.

No arrests have been made yet. Supt Ed Wells said: “Any shooting incident is unacceptable, but for multiple people, including two children, to be injured in a shooting in the middle of a Saturday afternoon is shocking.

“Our thoughts are with all the victims, but in particular with the seven-year-old girl who is in a life-threatening condition and with her family.”

The shooting happened at the double funeral for mother and daughter, Fresia Calderon and Sara Sanchez. Photograph: Handout

Father Jeremy Trood was conducting the joint funeral service at St Aloysius Church for mother and daughter, Fresia Calderon, 50, and Sara Sanchez, 20.

They died within 25 days of each other – Calderon from a blood clot after flying back to London from Colombia, and Sanchez, who was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in May 2020, died shortly afterwards, according to MyLondon who interviewed Sanchez in April 2022.

Sanchez, her mother and her younger brother had travelled to Colombia last year to see family and friends for a “final goodbye” after she went into remission but relapsed twice. Private treatment for which the City and Islington College student raised more than £30,000 on a GoFundMe page had also failed.

The family had arrived back in London when Calderon collapsed in front of her children and died at the airport.

Trood said he had just concluded the requiem mass for the service when he heard shots outside the church as mourners began to leave.

“They started rushing back into the church after the incident,” he said, describing the terror of the funeral-goers. “Our prayers go out to those in hospital”.

Jaouida Ifghallal, who was at the funeral, told MyLondon: “It was a lovely service in the church for Fresia and her daughter. Fresia died of pulmonary embolism on her way back from Colombia. Sara died of a broken heart and leukaemia. When the service finished, we were outside to see the flying of doves. A black car came and started to shoot bullets. It was chaotic!”

Responding to Saturday’s shooting on Twitter, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who is also MP for the area, he was “deeply shocked” by the shooting, and thanked emergency services for their response.

Wells added: “An investigation into this dreadful attack is already well under way involving local officers and specialist detectives. I can assure the communities of Camden and beyond that we will do everything we possibly can to identify and bring to justice those who were responsible.”

Witnesses or anyone who has information about the incident have been urged to call 101, giving the reference 3357/14JAN.

Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.