Police are investigating whether a suspect wanted after the fatal shooting of a woman outside a pub on Valentine’s Day may have entered the River Thames.

The woman, who was in her 40s, died at the scene of the attack, which happened at the Three Horseshoes on Main Road, Knockholt, in Kent, just after 19:00 GMT on Friday.

Police later recovered a vehicle that contained a gun on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, which crosses the River Thames, near Dartford.

The force said it was not ruling out the possibility that the man may have entered the water after it received reports of a man “on the wrong side of the barrier”.

The woman has not been formally identified but police said her attacker was known to her.

It is thought they are not from Kent but have connections to the local area.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Officers continue to work with the families of both parties involved to support them following this tragic incident.”

BBC reporter Ben Schofield, at the scene in Knockholt on Sunday, said more information was “gradually becoming available” on what happened.

Villagers recalled hearing gunshots “ringing out” at about 19:00 GMT on Friday.

Police said they were only looking for one suspect and did not believe there was an ongoing risk to the public.

Flowers have been left outside the village pub, located about five miles (8km) north-west of Sevenoaks.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Three Horseshoes pub expressed its “sincere condolences to the victim’s family and friends”. It said it was hoping to reopen on Sunday.

Meanwhile, local reverend Tim Edwards said prayers were being offered at St Katherine’s church in Knockholt “for the family and all affected”.

He said the church would also be open for anyone who wanted “to pray or just sit quietly”.