Mother is shot in her home

A woman was fighting for life today after being shot at her home. The mother of four was critically injured in the shooting in Enfield shortly after 6am.

Neighbours reported that the woman's children were also in the house. They were seen being taken away later by police.

Police launched a hunt for the gunman who was seen fleeing on foot. He is still believed to be armed.

The victim, who is in her thirties, was rushed to hospital where initially her condition was not thought to be life-threatening. However, at about 11am she was taken into intensive care. An hour later she was described as "critical".

The woman was being treated under armed guard in a secret location. Scotland Yard's specialist gun crime team was called in and armed officers were also at the scene. Roads around her home, in Fotheringham Road, were closed while police searched the area and carried out house-tohouse enquiries.

Police sources say detectives are investigating if the woman and the gunman were known to each other.

The suspect is described as a white man in his early twenties with light hair and a black halflength jacket. Police said he was bare-chested underneath.

Detectives are tracking down the victim's closest family to establish who was living in the house.