A prominent Black Lives Matter activist is in a critical condition in hospital after being shot in the head.
Police have appealed for information after Sasha Johnson, 27, was found with life-threatening injuries in Peckham, south London at roughly 3AM on Sunday morning (May 23).
The anti-racism activist is a member of the Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP), which said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has sustained a gunshot wound to her head. She is currently hospitalised and in a critical condition. The incident happened in the early hours of this morning, following numerous death threats.”
Police have said there is no evidence to currently suggest it was a targeted shooting, or that she had received any credible threats against her prior to the incident.
The TTIP statement continued: “Sasha has always been actively fighting for black people and the injustices that surround the black community, as well as being both a member of BLM and a member of Taking the Initiative Party’s Executive Leadership Committee. Sasha is also a mother of 3 and a strong, powerful voice for our people and our community.”
Johnson, who has a first-class degree in social care from Oxford Brookes University, was one of the organisers of the first-ever Million People March to protest against systemic racism in the UK last summer. It saw hundreds of people marching through the streets of west London.
“As a people, we’re not going to stop until we have equal rights and justice,” she said at the time.
“Our message is listen to us, hear our words, we want sustainable and tangible change.
“We don’t just want tokenistic promises, we don’t want it to come from a hegemonic standpoint. We want it to be for the people.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jimi Tele said: “This was a shocking incident that has left a young woman with very serious injuries. Our thoughts are with her family who are being provided with support at this terribly difficult time.
“A dedicated team of detectives is working tirelessly to identify the person or persons responsible for this shooting. They are making good progress but they need the public’s help.”
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