Police and paramedics at the scene outside St Aloysius Church [Simon Lamrock]

A WOMAN who survived a shotgun drive-by outside a memorial service a year ago revealed how she was rushed to A&E with seven “pellets” inside her body, Kingston Crown Court heard yesterday (Wednesday).

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed for the first time details of the shocking events outside St Aloysius Church in Phoenix Road, Somers Town, on January 14 last year.

Four women and two children were seriously injured in the attack as a crowd of mourners were about to release doves following a service for Fresia Calderon, 50, and her daughter, Sara Sanchez, 20, a former pupil of Maria Fidelis School.

The witness was asked to help release the doves after the service. She agreed and waited outside facing the road, holding the hands of her relatives’ children.

The woman’s statement, read out by prosecution barrister Philip Stott, told the court: “I saw a flash of light and heard a loud bang [the child] jumped in shock.

“I thought to myself ‘what’s that? Who on earth would let off a firework during the day?’” She was told by a child that her finger, legs and stomach were bleeding.

The woman was taken to St Mary’s Hospital where she remembers being “surrounded by armed police officers” and seeing another person who had been shot outside the church treated there. “It was then I realised something big happened,” she said.

“I was told by the hospital I had pellets inside my body, in my leg and abdomen. There were seven pellets inside me altogether. Three in each leg and one in my abdomen,” her statement added.

The court heard how she has been suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and muscle spasms in her leg.

Four men – Tyrell La Croix, 23, of South Hampstead; Alrico Nelson-Martin, 20, of Willesden Green; Jordan Walters, 24, of Brent and Jashy Perch, 20, of Watford – are facing convictions for conspiracy to wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at a trial that began this week. Nelson-Martin is also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life or enable another person to do so.

More than 100 people were standing on the steps of the church to watch doves being released following a requiem mass for Ms Calderon and Ms Sanchez.

The special occasion, filled with speeches, violin performances and singing, quickly turned into a nightmare when someone from inside a car opened fire on the crowd.

Ms Calderon died in November 2022 at Heathrow Airport from a blood clot after flying back from Colombia. Just a few weeks later, her daughter, Ms Sanchez, died in UCLH from leukaemia. She was a former pupil of Maria Fidelis and staff from the school had attended the service.

The jury heard how one of the organisers of the event, Darcy Diaz, was outside the church finding the family members who were going to release the doves when she “suddenly heard one big explosion” that was “so loud and intense”.

Her witness statement recalled people shouting and screaming and how she saw a woman lying on the floor and another person with “a little hole in her thigh”. “I struggled to take in everything that was going on,” her statement said.

Witness Larry Gomez also attended the service with his family. He was at the top of the stairs outside when he heard the gunshot. The court was told: “It was incredibly loud. I thought it was a firework. It was so loud it sent shivers through my body.”

He saw a woman “fall very slowly” but said he didn’t recognise her at first because she was covered in blood. “That’s when I realised it wasn’t a firework, something was really wrong,” he said. He stayed with her but it “felt like the streets emptied” as people rushed inside.

The court heard that CCTV footage was seized by police, who were following the vehicle, a black Toyota C-HR, from which the gun was fired. Officers viewed and reviewed in excess of 100 hours of CCTV.

The trial is expected to last five weeks.