Three teenage girls shot in suspected drive-by

Three teenage girls were being treated in hospital last night after being gunned down in a suspected drive-by shooting in west London.

It is thought the teenagers, aged 17, 18 and 19, were all injured by the same bullet fired outside a house in John Fearon Walk, North Kensington, yesterday evening. The 18-year-old was taken to hospital in a critically condition but has improved and is no longer in immediate danger. The other two were hurt but are not considered to have life-threatening injuries.

Detectives from Operation Trident – specialising in black on black gun crime in London – were investigating the shooting and unconfirmed reports suggested that it was a botched drive-by attack.

A police spokesman said that officers were alerted by the ambulance service at 7.17pm. "We have got officers down there trying to piece together what is going on," he said.

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the 18-year-old was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital "as a priority". She added: "Two further patients reported to be female teenagers with gunshot wounds made their own way to hospital."