Police launch murder inquiry after woman, 19, who was gunned down outside Lidl dies in hospital
- The woman was shot outside outside Lidl on King Street in Blackburn today
- She was rushed to hospital with serious injuries but died a short time later
- Lancashire Police say an investigation to establish what happened is underway
A murder inquiry has been launched after a 19-year-old woman was shot dead outside a Lidl in Blackburn today.
Armed officers, along with as many as seven squad cars and a helicopter, were called to reports of an ‘unresponsive’ woman on King Street at 3pm after shots were heard in the area.
The woman was rushed hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.
A Home Office post-mortem will now take place to identify the cause of death, though it is thought that she died from a gunshot wound, Lancashire Police reported
It was reported that a vehicle, thought to be a light coloured or metallic green Toyota Avensis, was seen leaving the scene.
A car matching the description was later recovered and police are appealing for anyone who may have seen the car to contact them.
Police are seen on King Street today where a woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital
Det Supt Jonathan Holmes, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: ‘This is a truly shocking and senseless killing, which has robbed a young woman of her life.
‘Although the victim has yet to be formally identified, we believe she was a young woman from the local area. Her family have now been informed of her death and they are understandably utterly, utterly distraught.
‘Our thoughts are very much with them, and her wider family and friends, at this awful time.
‘An investigation has been launched and we are determined to find those responsible – and we are asking for the public’s help identifying the offender or offenders.
‘We believe a light-coloured Toyota Avensis – possibly metallic green – may have been involved in the incident.
‘A car matching the same description has since been recovered from nearby Wellington Road and we are now asking anybody who saw a car matching this description in either location to get in touch as soon as possible.
‘We would also like to hear from anybody who has dashcam, CCTV or mobile phone footage of the incident, and who has not yet been spoken to by police.
‘We know that King Street will have been busy around the time of the incident and we are confident there is someone, or several people, out there who know what happened.
‘We understand people may be reluctant to come forward during this time, especially if they have not been following the government guidelines about staying at home, but we would reassure them that our immediate concern is to find out what happened.
Lancashire Police later confirmed that a murder investigation had been launched following the 19-year-old’s death
‘We urge anyone who has any information, no matter how insignificant they may feel it to be, to come forward and speak to us as a matter of urgency.’
He added: ‘We appreciate this will have caused a lot of worry in the community, but we have deployed significant additional resources, including armed officers, to carry out high visibility patrols in the area to provide reassurance to residents. Anyone with concerns or questions is welcome to speak to those officers.’
Anyone with information is asked to get contact the police on 101, quoting log number 817.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.