Man and woman injured in hostage situation in Kent
Eyewitness: "It was pandemonium. I heard five gunshots - a pause and then another five."
Last updated 7th May 2023
A man and woman have been shot during a police siege in Kent.
A woman is in hospital with gunshot wounds after she was held hostage in her house in Dartford.
On Saturday afternoon armed police were called to a house on Priory Road with a trained negotiator following reports of a "disturbance" and attempted to "engage with a man" there
Witnesses who live nearby say a woman had been 'held hostage' behind the property.
Kent Police say a man and a woman suffered serious injuries consistent with gunshot wounds and were taken to a London hospital.
Witnesses say police cordoned off the road and ordered people to stay inside their homes, before officers broke through the front door.
After a stand-off "pandemonium" broke out and neighbours heard what they described as sounding like two rounds of gunshots.
The house remains cordoned off with forensics teams seen entering the property late on Saturday evening.
One woman, who wishes not to be named, described the scene as "chilling".
She says: "I was in the house and my husband and two girls were out - they couldn't get back home.
"I went out and was told 'get back - you must stay indoors'.
About an hour after police entered the property, she says she heard gunshots before a person was carried out on a stretcher.
"It was pandemonium," she said. "I heard five gunshots - a pause and then another five."
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: "Kent Police was called to a report of a disturbance at a property in Priory Road, Dartford, at 12.40pm on Saturday May 6.
"Officers, along with a trained police negotiator, attended and attempted to engage with a man inside the address.
"Whilst they were at the scene, a man and a woman suffered serious injuries consistent with gunshot wounds and were taken to a London hospital where they remain in a serious condition.
"Patrols remain in the area and enquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances and how the injuries were sustained."
The force has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to police being at the scene at the time of the injuries. No police weapons were discharged.
The IOPC has been approached for comment.