A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a mother and a young man were shot with a crossbow in linked attacks in Hackney earlier this month.
The first incident saw Nazarine Cazley, 44, hit in the head on the evening of 4 March as she made her way home from Shoreditch.
Doctors told her she “could have died” if she was a child or elderly person, according to Clifton Cazley, Nazarine’s husband.
But the suspect is alleged to have struck again 10 days later when a 20-year-old man was shot in the neck on Arnold Circus – just 60 metres away from the initial attack.
The 47-year-old man was stopped by police on Sunday evening and was carrying a knuckle duster and “a bottle containing a substance” when he was detained, according to the Met Police.
The incident has sparked fear among residents who are “spooked”, according to Susanna Kow, who chairs the Boundary Tenants and Residents Association.
“We really wish the police put more emphasis when the first incident happened”, she said, adding: “I don’t know how we’re going to live our lives”.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who is responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “The arrest was a significant development in our investigation, but this remains a complex and ongoing policing operation.
“I can also confirm that our enquiries led to the seizure of another crossbow weapon in the period between the two attacks, which is now being dealt with as part of a separate investigation.”
