London — Police in England arrested a 26-year-old man on Wednesday after an hours-long manhunt in the crossbow killings of three women. BBC News, a CBS News affiliate network, reported that the victims were the wife and two adult daughters of John Hunt, a commentator for the network’s horse-racing radio channel, BBC Racing.
Hertfordshire Police said in a statement that officers were called to a home in Bushey, northwest London, just before 7pm (2pm Eastern Time) on Tuesday where they found three women with serious injuries. Ambulances and other emergency response vehicles were dispatched to the home, but all three women died at the scene, police said.
The BBC reported that the target of the pursuit, suspect Kyle Clifford, was found by police in Enfield, north London, at around 6:30pm local time (1:30pm Eastern Time). The suspect was detained with unknown injuries and is receiving treatment. Police said no shots were fired during the detention, according to the BBC.
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The station reported that Detective Justin Jenkins said the investigation was “moving rapidly” and that there were no other people of interest in connection to the crime.
Police had previously appealed for information regarding Clifford’s whereabouts but advised people not to approach him as he “may still be in possession of a weapon”.
Detective Chief Superintendent John Simpson, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, said the attack on the Hunts home was carried out with a crossbow in the early hours of Wednesday morning, adding that other weapons may have also been used.
Police have not confirmed whether Clifford knew the Hunt family, but said it appears to have been a targeted attack. The victims were 61-year-old Carol Hunt and her two daughters, aged 25 and 28.
John Hunt, a former police officer who worked for the BBC for many years, returned home after the attack on Tuesday evening to find his wife and daughters seriously injured, British media reported.
Speaking on television early on Wednesday morning, Mr Simpson made a direct appeal to Mr Clifford, saying: “Kyle, if you see or hear this please get in touch,” urging him to call the UK emergency services number 999.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain’s law enforcement chief, said in a social media post that she was being “kept updated” on the case and urged anyone with information to contact police.
“The deaths of three women in Bushey last night are truly devastating and my thoughts go out to the families, friends and local community of those who have died,” she said.
“We’re just totally shocked,” local city councillor Laurence Brass told CBS News partner network BBC News. “We don’t have anything like this happening in this area. This is a typical leafy Bushy suburb. All of a sudden we’ve heard there’s been three murders. There was a helicopter landing at the top of my road last night and police everywhere. I think residents are a bit shocked by what’s going on here so it’s concerning.”
Crossbows are legal in the UK and you don’t need a licence or registration to own one, but it is illegal to carry one in public without a valid reason.
