Grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, was found dead along with two other women and a man after they were attacked at a terraced property in south London. Witnesses heard frightening screams in the early hours before seeing armed police charging into the property as a force helicopter hovered overhead. Scotland Yard confirmed it arrested a man in his 20s for the tragedy and said the suspect and the victims knew each other.
None of the names of the victims have been officially confirmed, but police said the women were in their 60s, 40s and 30s, and the man in his 60s.
Ms Hill, a Jamaican-born housekeeper at Guy’s Hospital, was locally named as a “lovely lady” who had two daughters and two grandchildren.
Her niece Venecia Reid said: “She was very loving, very kind, very generous.
“She worked very hard in this country to support her two daughters and two grandchildren. She doesn’t deserve this.”
A friend said: ‘She was a lovely woman – she worked at Guy’s Hospital as a cleaner.
“She was also undergoing cancer treatment. I can’t believe this happened.
“I know she has two daughters. My heart goes out to his family. It’s so horrible, horrible to happen.
Another added: “My friend knew Dolet from working with her at Guy’s Hospital.”
The horror unfolded shortly after 1.30am yesterday in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, when neighbors heard screams coming from the house.
Electoral records show Ms Hill has lived at the property for five years with a Denton Burke.
Anne Birkett, 60, whose home backs onto the property, said she was woken by police sirens and a helicopter circling just before 2 a.m.
“I was woken up around 1.45am where I saw loads of flashing lights, loads of police cars and a helicopter.
“My husband wanted to come out and see what was going on but I said let the police do their job.”
The 60-year-old added: “It’s devastating – you hear it all but you never assume it will be right on your doorstep.”
Another neighbor added: “I was watching TV when around 1.30am I heard a woman screaming for about five minutes.
“It was awful. I thought it was someone holding someone hostage or something.
“But when I heard the police, the helicopter, the ambulances, I knew it was really serious.
“I saw about eight or nine police cars – all of them armed – come out and surround the area.”
A third said: “I saw a group of police jump out of their cars with guns. There were about eight police cars, several ambulances and some of them were knocking on doors.
“They came to the back garden to make sure our gate was secure.”
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, Metropolitan Police Commander for the Borough of Southwark, said: “This is a deeply shocking incident.
“Such terrible events are rare. But that will not lessen the shock we have felt across London and beyond.
“And I can assure you that this investigation will be thorough to ensure that justice is served for the victims, their families and the community.”
The street was partially closed off with metal hoarding, while forensic tents were erected for the scenes of crime agents.
Local MP Harriet Harman described the killings as a “terrible tragedy” after speaking to officers during a visit to the scene.
She added: “It’s shocking to happen anywhere, but especially in this very peaceful, calm and very sedentary community here.
“The police have arrested someone, but it is still very important that people give information so that whoever committed this horrible crime can be brought to justice.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the family and friends of those who have tragically had their lives cut short.”
A London Ambulance spokesman said: “We have sent three ambulance crews, two rapid response units, two incident response officers, two advanced paramedics and a chief of team on site.
“Our team worked closely with colleagues from other emergency services.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of our doctors, four patients died at the scene.”
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-25 17:16:00
