Suspect in police stand-off murder dies in hospital after mother-of-two succumbs to gunshot wounds
Jacob Cloke, who was also taken to hospital with ‘critical injuries caused by a firearm’, died on Thursday evening
A man suspected of shooting dead a mother-of-two during a stand-off with police has died in hospital.
Armed police and a trained negotiator were scrambled to a terraced house in Priory Road, Dartford, at 12.40pm on Saturday afternoon following reports of a disturbance.
Hayley Burke, 36, was taken to a London hospital suffering from shots from a handgun and died on Monday evening.
Announcing Ms Burke’s death on Tuesday, the force said the case was being treated as murder.
The suspected gunman, Jacob Cloke, who was also taken to hospital with “critical injuries caused by a firearm”, died on Thursday evening, a police spokesman said.
No police weapons were fired during the stand-off.
The force spokesman added: “An investigation into both deaths will now be led by the coroner.
“Officers from the Kent and Essex serious crime directorate will assist the coronial process.”
Tributes have poured in for Ms Burke, with flowers and messages laid at the scene of the incident.
“Hayley was the loudest friend in the group and never failed to have everyone laughing,” an unnamed friend said.
“Hayley loved her children with every inch of her heart. Everything she did was for her boys - they were her life.
“Hayley would do anything for anybody but wasn’t afraid to tell you if you took the mick.
“She was so brutally honest - it was one of her best character traits. If you wanted an honest opinion you would always ask Hayley.”
The friend said Ms Burke left behind two children, adding: “Her space in our lives will never be filled. She didn’t deserve any of this. She had so much love and life to give.”
After being called to the home at 12.40pm, police cordoned off Priory Road and told people to stay inside their homes before officers broke through the terraced home’s front door, witnesses said.
After an hour-long stand-off, “pandemonium” broke out and neighbours heard what sounded like two rounds of gunshots.
One woman, who did not want to be named, described events as “chilling”.
Kent Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because police were at the scene at the time of the injuries.
An IOPC spokesman said it was assessing the referral from Kent Police to determine whether any further action is needed by the watchdog.