Police and emergency services were at the scene in Ashlyn Close, Bushey, north London, on Wednesday.
James Manning/AP
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James Manning/AP
LONDON — British police said Wednesday they had discovered the man suspected of killing three women, the wife and daughter of a prominent BBC radio commentator, in brutal crossbow attacks near London.
Kyle Clifford, 26, was found near his home in the Enfield area of north London and was being treated for his injuries, Hertfordshire Police said in a statement. Police did not say how the injuries occurred but stressed that no shots were fired.
The BBC confirmed the women killed were members of the family of its commentator John Hunt, including his wife Carol Hunt, 61, and their daughter Hannah, 28 and daughter Louise, 25.
Sky News footage showed the suspect being carried on a stretcher from Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, close to his home and about 52 kilometers (17 miles) east of the killing site. Armed police, forensic officers and ambulance crews gathered around the cemetery throughout the day.
According to the BBC report, Clifford served in the British Army for a period of time in 2022, so the public is urged not to approach Clifford.
Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins, of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire’s Major Crime Unit, said: “Following extensive enquiries, the suspect has been identified and no one else is currently involved in the investigation.”
“This remains an extremely difficult time for the victims’ families and we ask that their privacy be respected as they come to terms with what happened,” she added.
Jenkins said the investigation was proceeding “expeditiously” and the victim had not yet been formally identified. She also said the “premature” release of the victim’s name “caused great unease”.
Police had been searching a park near Clifford’s home in north London on Tuesday after learning of a killing at a house in Bushey, a residential area in northwest London. Police and ambulance crews attempted to rescue them but they were pronounced dead at the scene.
John Hunt is the main racing commentator on BBC 5 Live, the company’s main news and sports broadcast channel. His voice is known to millions through his coverage of world-famous national races and derbies.
One of Hunt’s colleagues, BBC 5 Live’s chief presenter Mark Chapman, struggled to hold back tears as he expressed everyone’s shock and anguish.
“We have a football match to bring to you tonight… We will start preparing for this game very soon but it’s a heartbreaking day,” he said on Wednesday’s 5 Live of England match against the Netherlands. Said during the semi-finals of the competition.
“John Hunter is a colleague and friend, not just to the current 5 Live sports team, but to everyone who has worked with him over the past 20 years, and to everyone who enjoyed his brilliant commentary. ” Chapman said. “So on behalf of everyone associated with 5 Live Sport I would like to send our love, thoughts and support to John and his family.
The Daily Mail and other newspapers reported that Hunt discovered the body after returning home from a report at Linfield Park racecourse in south London on Tuesday evening.
Police did not say how or whether Clifford was connected to the women, but British media reported that Clifford was the ex-boyfriend of one of the daughters.
Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson said the attack was not random and the suspects knew the family.
Laurence Brass, a local council member who lives nearby, described the area as “a typical leafy British suburb” when recounting his experiences the night before.
“Last night around eight o’clock, I was watching a football game on TV and all of a sudden a helicopter landed on the lawn outside my apartment, which is just down the road, and my phone started ringing and someone told me Bush There’s something big happening and we should all stay away because there are obviously people on the loose,” he told the BBC.
Britain’s new home secretary, Yvette Cooper, was “fully aware” of the “truly shocking” incident.
Britons do not need a license to own a crossbow, but it is illegal to carry one in public without a reasonable excuse.
A Home Office spokesman said Cooper would “quickly consider” the results of a recently launched review to determine whether further controls should be introduced on crossbows.
