Sasha Johnson, one of the leading Black Lives Matter activists in the United Kingdom, is in critical condition after she was shot in the head early Sunday, according to reports.
Details of the shooting were not immediately provided by London’s Metropolitan Police Department. News outlets including the BBC and the Guardian reported that city police responded to a shooting just before 3 a.m. in southeast London. The victim was a 27-year-old woman and the shooting was near a house party. The Guardian, citing police, reportedthat there is no immediate evidence to suggest she was targeted.
The BBCreported that Johnson, 27, is also a leading member of the country’s Taking the Initiative Party, which the report said is considered Britain’s first “Black-led political party.”
Her party appealed to the public to pray for her recovery.
The Guardian reported that Johnson rose in prominence during protests last year that broke out in Britain.
The paper also pointed to Claudia Webbe, a Labour MP, who took to Twitter after the shooting to call the incident involving Johnson “shocking.”
“All women should b safe on our streets,” she tweeted. “Wishing her a full recovery. Sending love and solidarity to her family, friends and loved ones. There are still too many guns and violent weapons damaging too many lives /#BLM.”