A teenager in England was charged after allegedly gunning down 42-year-old mother, Lianne Gordon, in Hackney, east London, on Dec. 5, according to the Guardian.
She died attempting to save her family. The 16-year-old alleged shooter, whose name remains unknown due to legal restrictions, attended his court hearing at Barkingside magistrates court last week, where he was charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and with possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Presiding Judge Susan Holdham referred his case to the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.
According to BBC, the shooting occurred in Vine Close, where the lad arrived on a bike, wearing a balaclava (a mask motorcyclists wear under their helmets to absorb sweat). He was also armed with a 9mm (0.4in) self-loading pistol.
The 16-year-old boy reportedly fired his weapon, striking another 16-year-old teen in the thigh and a 20-year-old in the butt. Prosecutors explained to the Old Bailey court that Gordon tried to block the assailant from entering her home as the youngster tried kicking the door and shoulder-barging in the house.
“She was unable to do so, and (the youth) continued to force his way into the property,” prosecutor Louise Oakley explained. “He discharged the firearm, and the bullet struck Lianne Gordon in the head.”
Police claim the victims knew each other but weren’t related.
The Standard reported that some neighbors believed the gunshots were fireworks until they heard her daughter screaming, “My mum has been shot in the head.”
Police don’t believe Gordon was the target. The 16-year-old teen and 20-year-old person were taken to the hospital for treatment. The 42-year-old beloved mother with a “heart of gold” protected her daughter and her disabled 21-year-old. Gordon’s best friend, nurse Jackie Finnigan, said she had taken her children to Jamaica for two weeks to escape British winter.
Finnigan, who had been friends with Gordon for 15 years, was devastated when she received the call about her friend’s demise.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Finnigan said. “It still doesn’t make sense. Everybody around here knew Lianne. She was a much-loved member of our community. I lived next door to her for many years, and we were very close.”
Finnigan added, “Lianne had a heart of gold. I don’t understand why anybody would do this to her.”
Metropolitan police are investigating the matter and seeing if a Dec. 2 shooting in Vine Close had any connection to Gordon’s incident.
According to a 2021 study on rates of firearm homicides among high-income countries, the U.S. is ranked seventh, while the UK is ranked 62 out of the 65 countries listed. The annual rate of gun homicide per 100,000 population in the UK is less than 1%.
It took one school shooting, the 1996 Dunblane massacre, where 16 students and a teacher were killed and 15 people were injured at a primary school, for the UK to outlaw gun ownership.
