Five men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in the shooting of prominent British Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson, who remains in critical condition.
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London police caution that the investigation into the shooting is still in the early stages but added that “three men—aged 18, 19 and 28—were arrested on suspicion of affray (a group fight) and possession with intent to supply class B drugs, while a fifth man, who is 25, was arrested on suspicion of affray and failing to stop for police,” CNN reports. A 17-year-old was also taken into custody for possessing a weapon and drug possession.
Johnson, a 27-year-old mother of three, has been in critical condition since being shot in the head during a house party in London on Sunday.
“While the investigation remains in its early stages, these arrests show that progress is being made,” Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard said in a statement. “However, I would continue to appeal to those who may hold information about the events that led to Sasha receiving her horrific injuries, or about those responsible, to do the right thing and come forward and speak to police,” Leonard said.
Johnson became a more visible presence in the movement last year when she and her political party, the Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP) “helped organize a series of protests against institutional racism in the UK in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.”
Black Lives Matter UK hosted a vigil outside Kings’ College Hospital in south London on Monday, in which supporters and fellow activists shouted lively chants of support and prayer, CNN reports.
“Every time she grabbed the mic, she spoke the truth,” one supporter told the vigil. “We need to make enough noise so she can wake up,” the supporter added, met with cheers from the crowd.
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