London crossbow attack: What happened, who is the suspect that killed BBC journalist's wife, daughters?

A BBC journalist returned home from work to find his wife and two daughters fatally injured in what British police are calling ‘a targeted crossbow attack’.

A suspect wanted in connection with the triple killings was found injured on Wednesday afternoon following a manhunt.

The search for Kyle Clifford, 26, began on Tuesday evening when police received a call regarding the attack in Bushey, a residential area in northwestern London.

Let’s take a closer look at the case.

London crossbow attack

The BBC confirmed that the women killed were members of the family of its commentator John Hunt — his wife Carol Hunt, 61, and two daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25. The couple also have another daughter, Amy, who is believed to live in Birmingham.

Carol was found in the house’s hallway with a crossbow bolt in her chest, and there was signs of ligatures on the victims’ faces and wrists, according to The Guardian sources. It is believed that one of the victims texted her partner to ask them to report the attack.

Hunt discovered the deaths early on Tuesday night after getting home from covering the Lingfield Park racecourse south of London, according to the Daily Mail and other media outlets.

Despite the efforts of police and ambulance crews to save them, they were declared dead at the site.

Police stated that while a crossbow is thought to have been used in the “targeted incident,” other weapons might have also been used.

Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson asserted that the suspect was acquainted with the family and that the attack was not random, as per NPR.

A nearby resident and local council member named Laurence Brass compared the area to “a typical leafy British suburb” while sharing his account of the previous evening.

“At about eight o’clock last night, I was watching the football on television, and suddenly a helicopter landed in the lawn outside my flat, which is at the top of this road, and then my phone started going, and I was told that there was a major incident here in Bushey and we should all keep away because there was somebody apparently on the run,” he told the BBC.

After learning of the killings on Tuesday, police had been searching a park close to Clifford’s northwest London residence.

The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit’s Detective Inspector Justine Jenkins had previously stated that the investigation is proceeding “at pace” and that the victims’ “premature” naming “caused great upset.”

“This continues to be an incredibly difficult time for the victims’ family and we would ask that their privacy is respected as they come to terms with what has happened," she said, as per NPR, adding, “Following extensive inquiries, the suspect has been located and nobody else is being sought in connection with the investigation at this time."

‘Targeted killing’

Hertfordshire Police released a statement on Wednesday afternoon stating that Clifford, who they warned may have been carrying a crossbow, was discovered in Enfield, North London, and is undergoing treatment for his wounds.

Although they insisted that they had not fired any rounds, the police did not explain how those injuries occurred.

“A man wanted in connection with a triple murder in Bushey has been traced to a location in North London. Following an extensive search, Kyle Clifford, aged 26, was found in the Enfield area by officers this afternoon (Wednesday, July 10),” the statement said.

The manhunt intensified and armed police raided an address at Gordon Hill, Enfield, north London, early in the morning. The Rendlesham Road property is believed to have been connected to Clifford’s brother Bradley, who was accused of murder in 2018 and given a life sentence.

Local schools were also shut down.

Although British media had reported that Clifford was an ex-boyfriend of one of the daughters, Louise Hunt, police did not specify how or whether Clifford was related to the women.

The breakup deeply affected Louise, who recently crashed her car into a telegraph pole outside their family home, Daily Mail reported. Carol mentioned her daughter’s split with her boyfriend was messy. Carol didn’t go into specifics, but you could tell she was worried,” a friend was quoted as saying by the British newspaper.

Clifford left the British army in 2022 after serving for a brief time, a British Defence Ministry source told CNN. As per the report, he joined the forces in 2019 and served in the Household Cavalry.

Condolences pour in

The BBC described the women’s killings as “utterly devastating” and said that it would give Hunt “all the support we can.”

“The news today about John Hunt’s family is utterly devastating. Our thoughts are with John and his family at this incredibly difficult time and we will provide him with all the support we can,” the statement to staff read.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed her condolences and said on X, “The loss of three women’s lives in Bushey last night is truly shocking. My thoughts are with the family and friends of those who have been killed and with the community. I am being kept fully updated. I urge people to support Hertfordshire Police with any information about this case.”

According to PA Media, a neighbour of the women said she “would see them every day passing by and they would say good morning. It’s really sad what’s happened, very shocking."

Calls for law change

In the UK, anyone above 18 is permitted to purchase or possess a crossbow; however, if they are caught carrying one in public without a valid reason, they risk jail time.

The previous government began an eight-week assessment of the regulations and the prospect of implementing a licensing plan in February.

Laura Sugden, whose partner Shane Gilmer was killed in a similar crossbow attack in 2018, has called for a licensing system for the weapons.

On the Today programme on BBC Radio Four, she said, “Three people lost their lives yesterday and if that’s not enough to now stop and think that these are dangerous weapons, unbelievable lethal - we need to be looking to do something. Put some legislation in, bring them in line with firearms and try and prevent future deaths.”

Violence against women in the UK

The killings sent shockwaves through the country.

Although mass killings are uncommon in Britain, the government has designated violence against women as a national issue, as per CNN.

Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, stated earlier this year that one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and that a woman is killed by a man in the UK every three days.

“Entrenched patriarchy at almost every level of society, combined with a rise in misogyny that permeates the physical and online world, is denying thousands of women and girls across the UK the right to live in safety, free from fear and violence,” Alsalem said in February.

With inputs from agencies