Manhunt launched in Britain for crossbow-armed triple murder suspect

LONDON – A manhunt has been launched for a suspect wielding a crossbow after three women from the same family were killed in a house north of London on Wednesday, police said.

Authorities warned the public not to approach 26-year-old Kyle Clifford, who is wanted in connection with the triple homicide and may still be armed with the bolt gun.

“Given the seriousness of the incident, I would ask anyone who knows where he is to contact police immediately,” Det. Supt. Rob Hall of the Major Crime Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire said in a statement.

“If you think you see him, please do not approach him and dial 999 immediately,” he added, referring to the UK emergency number. “He may still be in possession of a weapon.”

Such incidents are rare and shocking in the UK, where the murder rate is more than six times lower than in the US, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

This is largely due to the UK’s much stricter gun laws, although knife crime and stabbings have increased in recent years and become a sensitive issue in British politics.

Crossbow murders are very rare, with fewer than ten murders in the UK between 2011 and 2021 according to the government. There are no laws regulating who can buy or own a crossbow as long as they are at least 18 years old, but anyone found carrying one of these weapons in public without a valid reason can face four years in prison.

In February, the government said it was considering tightening these restrictions, citing an incident on Christmas Day 2021, when 19-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail showed up at Windsor Castle with a crossbow and planned to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

Newly elected British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described this week’s incident as “truly shocking” and said she would be kept updated on developments.

The triple murder occurred on Tuesday at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) in the small town of Bushey, northwest of London, according to the Hertfordshire Constabulary, the local police.

Officers were called to a suburban street with spacious single-family homes and found three seriously injured women, police said in a statement. Despite efforts to save the women, who are believed to be related, all three died at the scene, they said.

“This is an incredibly difficult incident for the victims’ family and we ask that you respect their privacy as they process what has happened,” said Detective Superintendent Hall.

Police are currently searching for Clifford, who they believe may be in north London or Hertfordshire, the county where the incident occurred.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed to NBC News that the suspect was armed with a crossbow at the time of the incident and that he may still have the weapon with him.