Ladbroke Grove shooting: Man arrested after firing ‘directly at car’ containing 8-year-old girl and 2-year-old child

A 22-year-old man has been arrested after an eight-year-old girl and a man were seriously injured in a shooting in west London.

The incident on Southern Row in Ladbroke Grove saw several people – including a two-year-old child – in a vehicle just after 5.30pm on Sunday.

The eight-year-old girl remains in surgery and her condition is serious but stable. A 34-year-old man is also in a serious but stable condition and his injuries are potentially life-changing.

A 32-year-old woman who was also in the vehicle was taken to hospital as a precaution, but was not injured. Nothing happened to the two-year-old.

Following the attack, police arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder and are appealing to the public for more information.

A witness described how the victims were targeted while sitting in a vehicle. She said the man “shot directly at the car.”

Sharon, who did not want to give her name, told the PA news agency: “He shot directly, at point-blank range, as if you were standing to open the door and they shot directly at it.

“I was in shock and I just ran up the stairs because I was really scared. Then I looked and then I heard screaming and then people were coming out to call the police.”

Another witness, 64, who spoke to Metro, described the girl’s mother screaming.

“I heard shots and then a woman screaming: ‘My child, my child has been shot’… It makes me sick to think about it now,” they said.

“There were four or five shots, there was screaming, it’s terrible. A neighbor came out with a blanket to cover the injured.”

Superintendent Owen Renowden made the announcement to reporters at a news conference near the scene.

“The investigation is being carried out by detectives from the Specialized Crime Command… to establish the circumstances of the incident.

“While the investigation is progressing rapidly, I want to appeal today to anyone with information that may help to come forward,” he added.

There is a police cordon at the north-western end of Southern Row.

The resident said he had previously witnessed “three shootings” in the area.

Muraad Haab, who did not witness Sunday’s attack, said: “I witnessed three shootings. Someone who was shooting earlier shot at my window.”

Another resident, Lloyd Markham, 60, said: “I’ve lived here for about 25 years and it seems like a really safe place to live, but now you’re starting to hear about all the stabbings and shootings.

“It’s very sad. Why shoot when there are children around? How can you do this to someone?”

Local MP Joe Powell said in a statement to X: “These senseless acts of violence have no place on our streets.

“I know that people in the local community will rightly be concerned for their safety following several recent incidents in the area.

“We must work together to better prevent these terrible crimes and hold those responsible to account,” added the Labor politician representing Kensington and Bayswater.

London Ambulance Service said in a statement: “The first member of our crew arrived in six minutes.

“Our crews treated two patients at the scene and then took them first to a major trauma center in London.”