Leading BLM activist in critical condition after she was shot in head, reports

Police say there is no evidence the shooting was related to Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson's activism.
Police officer at the crime scene of the shooting of BLM activist Sasha Johnson.
By Nicholas Sherman

Sasha Johnson, one of the leading Black Lives Matter activists in the United Kingdom, is in critical condition after being shot in the head over the weekend, according to reports.

Johnson, 27, was shot in south London early Sunday. Police say there is no evidence she was targeted due to her political beliefs or activism. Johnson was at a party near where the shooting occurred. 

"As far as I am aware ... this incident is more related to rival gangs as opposed to her activism," Johnson’s friend Imarn Ayton told the BBC. Ayton said she did not believe "she was the intended victim."

Ayton told reporters Johnson's surgery for her wound went well, and she is resting with her family.

Johnson, a leading BLM activist, though not officially part of the group Black Lives Matter UK, was a leading figure during the group's marches and demonstrations last summer. She is a part of the leadership committee for Taking the Initiative Party, a political group in the U.K. dedicated to fighting racial injustice.