Police recover body in search for suspect in Valentine’s Day pub shooting

Police searching for the suspect in the Kent pub shooting on Valentine’s Day have recovered a body from the River Thames.

Lisa Smith, 43, was killed after she was shot outside The Three Horseshoes in Knockholt on the evening of Friday 14 February.

Later that night, the suspect, named as Edvard Smith, was believed to have fallen into the Thames from the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge which crosses the river at Dartford 17 miles away.

Around that time, the suspect’s car containing a handgun was found abandoned on the bridge and a man was seen on the wrong side of the barrier.

About a week after the shooting, Kent Police said they believed Edvard Smith had died after falling into the water.

The force has now said a body was found in the Thames near Rainham in Essex on Friday afternoon. It has not been formally identified but the suspect’s family have been told of the development.

Edvard Smith was known to Ms Smith and there had been no prior contact between the police and the victim or suspect.

‘So much commotion’

Following the shooting, the landlady of The Three Horseshoes, Michelle Thomas, told Sky News she heard two loud bangs that she initially “thought were fireworks” on the night of the attack.

She said there was “so much commotion – screaming, shouting, crying” and the shooting had left the community in “absolute shock”.

She said Ms Smith, from Slough, had been to the pub before, “mostly in the summer” but “wasn’t a regular”.

Ms Thomas also said about 30 people were at the pub for dinner, while 20 more were in the bar as the incident unfolded just after 7pm.

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Kent Police said on Saturday: “A body has been recovered by police from the River Thames, which is being linked to a murder investigation in Knockholt.

“On Friday 14 February 2025, Lisa Smith, 43, was killed after she was shot outside a pub in Main Road. The suspect was known to Lisa and later that evening officers found his car abandoned on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Enquiries established he had fallen into the water below.

“At around 3.45pm on Friday 7 March, a body was located near Rainham, Essex. Formal identification has not yet taken place; however, the man’s family have been informed.”