A man has been arrested after allegedly being found with a revolver said to be linked to the murder of a mother-of-two who was taken hostage in her home.
Hayley Burke, 36, was shot during a stand-off with armed cops and police negotiators at her house in Dartford, Kent, on Saturday afternoon – as millions watch King Charles being coronated.
A 29-year-old man who also suffered gunshot injuries during the same incident is still in a critical condition in hospital and is being treated as the suspect in a murder probe after Ms Burke died of her injuries two days later.
Police today confirmed a man was arrested on Tuesday and charged with having a Smith and Wesson revolver before the killing.
Terry Beaton, 28, from Dartford, is accused of being in possession of a prohibited firearm before Friday. Beaton was due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court today.
Hayley Burke died in hospital on Monday evening after she was shot on Saturday afternoon
Police officers at the scene on Priory Road in Dartford, Kent, on Saturday afternoon
Ms Burke, from Dartford in Kent, had two sons whom friends said ‘were her life’
He was also charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
A source said the weapon is being linked to the separate investigation into the murder of Ms Burke.
Witnesses said after a stand-off, which lasted about an hour, ‘pandemonium’ broke out and said the woman had been ‘held hostage’ by a man at the back of the property.
A woman who lives near where the hostage situation took place described the scene as like a terror attack.
She said: ‘After many hours talking between the police and a man, I heard loud gun shot sounds and what seemed like six gun-shot sounds.
‘The scene was horrific. I have never seen anything like it around here. I thought it must be terrorist-related.’
She then discovered a double-glazed window had been shattered in a bedroom of her house and a ‘bullet’ was wedged inside the outer and inner pane.
The woman added: ‘I stayed inside all day, as I was too frightened to go outside in the situation.
‘It went on for hours. And then at about 4.30pm we saw a woman being given CPR outside a garage. We still had no idea what was going on.’
A murder investigation is now being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.
The incident happened while millions of television viewers were watching King Charles III’s Coronation take place 16 miles away at Westminster Abbey.
Ms Burke was taken to a hospital in London after suffering from shots from a handgun
One of Ms Burke’s friends paid tribute, saying she was ‘the loudest friend in the group’
One of Ms Burke’s friends told KentLive: ‘Hayley was the loudest friend in the group and never failed to have everyone laughing.
‘Hayley loved her children with every inch of her heart. Everything she did was for her boys – they were her life.
‘Hayley would do anything for anybody but wasn’t afraid to tell you if you took the mick. She was so brutally honest – it was one of her best character traits.
‘If you wanted an honest opinion you would always ask Hayley. Her space in our lives will never be filled. She didn’t deserve any of this. She had so much love and life to give.’
One couple who knew Ms Burke described her as a ‘lovely woman’. The 46-year-old father, who did not want to be named, said: ‘She used to work at my kid’s school years ago.
‘I’ve known her for years. She was a beautiful looking girl. It’s awful, especially on our doorstep, it scared a lot of people around here. But it’s terrible, this area has gone right downhill.’
And the mother, who said her children were outside when it happened, added: ‘My son, 14 years old, recognised her and said “she really helped me”. She always helped him and was never rude.’
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had just come back from the Coronation in the capital to find the road blocked off.
He told KentLive: ‘I couldn’t get down from that end, and I went down to that end, and then I heard the shots, and police were telling everyone to get behind the walls. It was worrying’
‘It was worrying because I hadn’t heard what was going on. I just heard rumours from the neighbours. I just heard that someone died.’
One couple who said they had known Ms Burke ‘for years’ described her as a ‘lovely woman’
He said it was normally a quiet road, adding: ‘I’m embarrassed to tell people, because there’s been a shooting in your road, they think you live in a rough estate but it’s not, it’s a nice road.’
When asked whether he still feels safe in the area, he said: ‘Yes. The police came and knocked on the door the following day, just to try and reassure everybody.’
A Kent Police spokesman said: ‘An investigation into a firearms incident at a property in Dartford is now being treated as murder after the victim died in hospital.
‘Officers, along with a trained police negotiator, attended and attempted to engage with a man inside the address.
‘Firearms officers also attended and whilst they were at the scene, a 36-year-old woman suffered injuries believed to have been caused by a handgun and she was taken to a London hospital.
Police officers in Dartford on Saturday after the mother-of-two was rushed to hospital
Armed police and a trained negotiator scrambled to the terraced house in Dartford
Ms Burke died in hospital after she was shot while police engaged in a stand-off in Dartford
‘The victim died from her injuries shortly before the evening of May 8. The man, aged 29, was also taken to hospital with a firearms injury and he remains in a critical condition.
‘He is being treated as the suspect and an investigation is being led by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.’
Witnesses described how police cordoned off the road and ordered people to stay inside their homes, before officers broke through the front door.
After an hour-long stand-off, ‘pandemonium’ broke out and neighbours heard what they described as sounding like two rounds of gunshots.
Kent Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because police were at the scene at the time of the injuries.
No police weapons were discharged.
An IOPC spokesman said: ‘On Saturday we were notified by Kent Police about a firearms incident in Dartford, where a woman and a man sustained serious injuries.
‘We have now been advised that sadly the woman involved has died.
‘Today we received a mandatory referral from Kent Police regarding this incident, which we are assessing to determine whether any further action is required from us.’
DailyMail
