LONDON — British police said Wednesday they have arrested five people on suspicion of attempted murder over the shooting of a prominent Black Lives Matter activist.
Sasha Johnson, 27, was hospitalized in critical condition after she was shot at a house party in southeast London early Sunday.
Police and a friend have said nothing suggests that Johnson was targeted in the attack, but the Taking the Initiative Party said she had received death threats in the past related to her activism.
London’s Metropolitan Police force has said Johnson was in the back garden attending the house party when four Black men entered the premises and discharged a firearm, injuring Johnson.
Police said Wednesday they detained five male suspects between the ages of 17 and 28 for other alleged offenses, including possession of drugs and weapons, before all five were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. They remained in police custody.
The police force stressed it was not aware of “any reports of threats made against (Johnson) prior to the incident.”
A friend of Johnson’s told the BBC earlier this week that gang violence at the party may have led to Johnson getting shot.
