UK Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson critically ill after getting shot in head

US Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson is critically ill after being shot in the head in the wee hours of May 23 in South London, her political party said. Later, the London Metropolitan Police, in a statement, confirmed that they had found a woman suffering a gunshot injury in her head in Peckham. On May 25, the law enforcers confirmed that it was Johnson and added that the 27-year-old was admitted to a nearby hospital and was recuperating from “life-threatening” wounds. They also took to Twitter to call for witnesses to the incident.

Johnson has been a leading figure in the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK and is also a member of the Taking the Initiative Party's executive leadership committee. While the law enforcers have not spilt further details on the shooting, Johnson’s party claimed that she was attacked following “numerous death threats”. However, speaking to BBC, in the aftermath, a friend of Johnson's reckoned that the incident was more related to rival gangs than her activism, and she believed Johnson was not the intended victim.

One year of Black Lives Matter 

This comes as the US marked one year of George Floyd’s killing, a tragedy that triggered the Black Lives Moment. The Minneapolis Black man had succumbed on May 25, 2020, due to a knee chokehold after former Minneapolis white police officer Derek Chauvin sat on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, despite his repeated requests that he “can’t breathe.” George Floyd’s death had sparked protests across the United States against Police brutality and systemic racism. Citizens demanded police reforms and justice for Floyd as they held the popular Black Lives Matter movement. 

On Tuesday, the White House Press Secretary said that US President Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House. During her daily press briefing, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the US president would mark the anniversary of Floyd’s death. She, however, offered no further details on the plans about how the White House will host the late Floyd’s family. 

File Image: AP