Prominent UK Black Lives Matter Activist Shot in the Head by Gang at London Party

A prominent UK racial activist was shot in the head by a group of four black men at a party in south London on Sunday, police have revealed. 

Sasha Johnson, a self-styled “Black Panther,” remains in a critical condition in hospital after a bullet intended for a rival gang member hit her in the head. 

Johnson, an Oxford Brookes graduate and mother of three, is a prominent figure in the UK’s Black Lives Matter movement and is a leading executive of the Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP). In a statement, the “economic and political” party striving to present “candidates who truly represent their communities” said: 

“It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has sustained a gunshot wound to her head. She is currently hospitalised and in critical condition. The incident happened in the early hours of this morning, following numerous death threats. Sasha has always been actively fighting for black people and the injustices that surround the black community, as well as being both a member of BLM and a member of Taking The Initiative Party’s executive leadership committee.”

The TTIP, whose website describes Johnson as having an “immense passion for implementing change” noted the activist’s “active support of the eradication of injustices in society by attending and leading protests.” 

Imarn Ayton, a friend of Johnson, told BBC News that she had successfully undergone surgery in hospital. 

“As far as we are aware, she was at a party. There was a rival gang that may have heard about someone being in that party that they didn’t feel quite comfortable with or trusted and so they resorted to driving past and shooting into the garden, and one of those shots obviously hit Sasha Johnson. But I don’t believe she was the intended victim.”

Johnson has a record of controversial racial activism. In July 2020, she was captured calling a black interviewer a “coon” after he referred to Derek Chauvin’s arrest of George Floyd as a “legal hold.” Later, in August 2020, she was banned from Twitter after she warned that “the white man” would become the “slave” in the future. 

In March, Johnson castigated the black and ethnic minority members of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities as “house ne****s” who needed “hanging” after a report named the UK as a “model for other white-majority countries” for race relations. 

Commenting on Johnson’s shooting, Commander Dr Alison Heydari of Scotland Yard stressed that Johnson’s involvement with racial activism was not believed to be a motive in the shooting.

“This was a shocking incident that has left a young woman with very serious injuries. Our thoughts are with the family of Sasha Johnson who are being supported by specially trained officers. A dedicated team of detectives are working tirelessly to identify the person - or people - responsible for the shooting. They are making good progress but they need the public’s help. From our enquiries so far, we have established that Sasha had been at a party at a house on Consort Road in Peckham early on Sunday morning. Around 3 am a group of four black males dressed in dark coloured clothing entered the garden of the property and discharged a firearm. They had left the scene before officers arrived. We are aware of Sasha’s involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK and I understand the concern this will cause to some communities - however, I wish to stress that at this time there is nothing to suggest Sasha was the victim of a targeted attack. We are also not aware of any reports of threats made against her prior to this incident. I want to take this opportunity to reassure you that we are doing everything possible to identify those responsible and to bring them to justice.