Four people including a seven-year-old girl are injured in shooting outside funeral in London

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Girl, 7, and three women are injured in shooting outside funeral for mother and daughter: Drive-by gunmen open fire on mourners as they watch doves being released after service

  • BREAKING: More to follow 
  • Three women and a seven-year-old girl have been injured in a shooting
  • The victims were guests at the double funeral of a mother and daughter 
  • Guests were ‘didn’t know if it was a gunman or a bomb’ as they hid in fear 
  • Did you witness the shooting? Email brittany.chain@mailonline.com

A seven-year-old girl has been shot alongside three women as they attended the double funeral of a single mother and her 20-year-old daughter in north London, the Metropolitan Police said.

All four sustained gunshot wounds when unidentified perpetrators performed a drive-by shooting outside St Aloysius church on Phoenix Road opposite Euston railway station at 1.30pm today.

Victims were attending the funeral service of Fresia Calderon, 50, and her daughter, Sara Sanchez, 20, who died within a month of each other in November.

Witnesses told MyLondon the group was fired upon as they went outside to watch the flying of doves after the service.

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A dark coloured car pulled up outside the church and ‘started shooting bullets’.

‘It was chaos. It was horrible. No one knew if it was a bomb or gunman,’ one witness said.

‘We were looking for places to hide. We all just snuggled into corners where we could. We left after about 10 minutes, I did not dare [leave before]. It was not nice.’ 

Four people including a seven-year-old girl are injured in shooting outside funeral in London

Police are pictured at the scene of a shooting outside a funeral on Phoenix Road, next to Euston railway station

The Met released a statement claiming initial enquiries suggest the shots were fired from a moving vehicle which quickly fled the scene

The Met released a statement claiming initial enquiries suggest the shots were fired from a moving vehicle which quickly fled the scene

All four sustained gunshot wounds when unidentified perpetrators performed a drive-by shooting outside St Aloysius church (pictured) on Phoenix Road

All four sustained gunshot wounds when unidentified perpetrators performed a drive-by shooting outside St Aloysius church (pictured) on Phoenix Road

The adult victims – aged 48, 54 and 41 – were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, though police said the 48-year-old suffered potentially ‘life-changing’ trauma. 

The seven-year-old was also rushed to hospital, but there is no update on her condition.

It is not yet clear how the victims knew the mother and daughter duo whose funerals they were attending, or why the funeral service was targeted.

Fresia Calderon died after suffering a pulmonary embolism after she arrived to Heathrow from Colombia on November 5. 

Her daughter Sara Sanchez, who had been diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago, succumbed 25 days later after ‘giving up all hope’, according to a family member. 

Father Jeremy Trood, of St Aloysius church, said: ‘I heard a big bang and police are in the church at moment. People who were leaving the church have rushed back in.’ 

Police are pictured having cordoned off the scene of a shooting outside a funeral at a church on Phoenix road, North London

Police are pictured having cordoned off the scene of a shooting outside a funeral at a church on Phoenix road, North London

The Met released a statement claiming initial enquiries suggest the shots were fired from a moving vehicle which quickly fled the scene. 

‘There is a significant police presence in the area. An urgent investigation is underway and details of the incident are still emerging,’ the statement read.

‘At this early stage there have been no arrests.’

Police cordons have been established in the area surrounding the church, and traffic is slow moving in the area.

Bus routes have been placed on diversion. Motorists travelling through the area have been warned of a significant police presence, and to expect delays.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information about what took place should call 101, giving the reference 3357/14JAN.

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

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