Prominent UK Black Lives Matter Activist Shot In The Head

A Black Lives Matter activist was shot in the head in south London on Sunday, possibly in connection with gang violence, the BBC reported Monday.

Sasha Johnson, 27, was treated for life-threatening injuries at an intensive care unit, the Taking the Initiative Party said, according to the BBC.

“We are saddened to hear that Sasha Johnson is fighting for her life after a critical wound and following numerous death threats,” Black Lives Matter U.K. said on Twitter. “While Sasha wasn’t part of our organisation, she impressively founded a new Black led political party and was dedicated to resist anti-Black racism.”

A group of people played the drums and prayed for Johnson at a vigil near where she was treated, the BBC reported.

https://twitter.com/ukblm/status/1396564230799859713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener
Law enforcement officials said evidence doesn’t show a targeted attack and that Johnson likely had not received any credible threats of violence, according to the BBC. The Taking the Initiative Party, however, said Johnson had received “numerous death threats” before she was attacked.

Johnson successfully underwent surgery and was recovering with her parents, her friend Imarn Ayton told the BBC. Johnson was at a social gathering when the incident occurred, though Ayton doesn’t think “she was the intended victim.”

“As far as I am aware… this incident is more related to rival gangs as opposed to her activism,” Ayton told the BBC.

Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command officials investigating the incident said the incident likely occurred near a house where a party was happening, according to the BBC.

Johnson organized a Black Lives Matter protest in Oxford, England, last summer and participates in community activism, the BBC reported. She is a member of the Taking the Initiative Party’s leadership committee and a prominent presence in the U.K.’s Black Lives Matter movement.