A suspect has been found and is receiving medical treatment following a manhunt after the wife and two daughters of a racing commentator were killed in an apparent crossbow attack.
Armed police were urgently trying to find 26-year-old Kyle Clifford and warned the public not to approach him after the three women were killed in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, in Hertfordshire, just before 7pm on Tuesday.
Police said he was found injured and that no shots were fired by officers.
Recap: How manhunt unfolded
Sky News pictures show Clifford being stretchered out of Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, an area which has seen a significant police presence this afternoon, including armed officers.
Clifford can be seen receiving medical treatment in the cemetery, which is close to his home. He was then taken by ambulance to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
The victims killed in the “targeted” attack were Carol Hunt – the wife of racing commentator John Hunt – and their two daughters Hannah and Louise, who is a dog groomer.
John and Carol Hunt. Pic: Facebook
Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah and Louise. Pic: Facebook
The killings involved the use of a crossbow and possibly other weapons, Hertfordshire Police said.
The women – aged 25, 28 and 61 – were found with serious injuries and they died a short time later at the scene.
At this stage, police believe the suspect was known to the victims.
Read more: What the law says on crossbows
Mr Hunt is a Sky Sports Racing presenter and BBC 5 Live commentator.
In a statement, Sky Sports Racing said: “Everyone at Sky Sports Racing is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths in Hertfordshire and our thoughts are with our colleague John Hunt, his family and friends at this awful time.”
A note sent to BBC 5 Live staff described the news as “utterly devastating”. It read: “Our thoughts are with John and his family at this incredibly difficult time and we will provide him with all the support we can.”
Police at the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey. Pic: PA
Police received ‘overwhelming number of calls’
Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, of Hertfordshire Police, said the force’s investigation was moving “at pace”.
She added formal identification of the victims is yet to take place.
The officer said: “This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for the victims’ family and we would ask that their privacy is respected as they come to terms with what has happened.
“We have had an overwhelming number of calls and would like to express our gratitude to the members of the public who have contacted us.”
She urged anyone with information or footage to contact the force directly and “refrain from commenting on social media”.
A London Ambulance spokesperson said: “Ambulance crews and London’s air ambulance attended an incident in Lavender Hill Cemetery, Enfield, this afternoon. We treated a man at the scene and took him to a major trauma centre.”
Police said earlier today that “extensive police resources” had been deployed in both Hertfordshire and north London as part of the manhunt. Some pupils in Enfield were kept inside their school as a precaution.
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‘I feel numb and sick’
Messages of condolence were posted on social media by figures from the racing world.
BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght said: “There are no words.
“Like everyone else I feel numb and sick on John’s behalf at such incomprehensible evil.
“Everyone who knows John knows he is the absolute archetypal family man, so proud of them, so it’s impossible to know what he can be going through.
“But I know I’m speaking for the whole racing community and the whole wider sports media community as well, both of which he’s been part of for so long, when I say everyone is sending sympathy, love and support to him. It’s just awful.”
Pic: PA
BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Mark Chapman has sent his “love and thoughts” to fellow commentator and friend John Hunt after a “heartbreaking day”.
Speaking through tears at the start of the Euro 2024 pre-match show on 5 Live, Mr Chapman said: “This has been a heartbreaking day.
“John Hunt is our colleague and our friend, not just to the current 5 Live Sport team but to all of those who have worked here with him over the past 20 years and also to all of you who have enjoyed his superb commentaries.
“On behalf of everybody connected to 5 Live Sport, our love and thoughts and support are with John and his family.”
A message on a floral tribute left near the scene. Pic: PA
Meanwhile, a friend of the women has remembered them as “beautiful souls”.
Su Kehinde, 60, who lives nearby, spoke after laying some flowers at a makeshift tribute at the end of the police cordon.
Ms Kehinde said: “They were the loveliest, gentlest family.
“They were the meekest human beings. They did not deserve this. They were beautiful souls.”
Her daughter April, 32, said that Hannah “always had a smile”.
She added: “She was hard-working, a hard grafter and really gentle.”
One of Louise’s friends said she was the “sweetest, kindest, most gentle person with the most lovely family”.
The friend, Luisa, said that Louise would “send me pictures of my dog asleep during grooming, that’s how much of a wonderful, relaxing person Louise was”.
