Murder investigation launched after shooting in Kings Langley

Police have launched a murder investigation after reports of gunshots emerged in a village.

At around 00:33 BST, officers were called to Railway Terrace in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, where a man was found with serious injuries. He later died.

Hertfordshire Police have linked the incident to the discovery of a burning white Volkswagen Golf a few minutes later in Furtherfield, Abbots Langley.

Both areas are currently being searched. Officers are still on site. No arrests have been made.

A local woman who wished to remain anonymous told the BBC it was “frightening and horrific”.

“I was just shocked,” she said.

“I’m now really scared to go for a walk with the dog in the evening.”

She said she became aware of it through a group chat in the neighborhood and was able to provide police with footage from a door camera.

Another woman said, “We were awakened by some loud bangs, maybe eight of them at 12:30 a.m. this morning. We thought nothing of it, thought it was a car backfiring, and then woke up with a lot of information about a shooting.”

“We moved to Kings Langley because we thought it was a nice, quiet area, very safe. It scared us a bit.”

Another neighbour also said she had moved from London to a “safe, quiet village” and the incident was “quite terrifying”.

Police confirmed that officers were called in the early hours of Tuesday morning “in response to a shooting.”

Three Rivers Ch Insp Andrew Palfreyman said: “We believe this was an isolated incident and there was no major threat to the public.”

“I understand this has caused concern among local community members and one can expect increased police presence and additional patrols in the area.”

Det Ch Insp Nick Gardner, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Crime Unit, said: “This is a tragic loss of life and our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this time.”

“As part of our investigation, we are appealing for witness statements as well as CCTV, dashboard or doorbell footage from Railway Terrace and surrounding areas at the time of the incident.”

He also asked anyone who was in the Kings Langley and/or Abbots Langley area at around 00:30 to come forward.

“As insignificant as this information may seem, it could help us in our investigation,” he added.