Woman killed in suspected parking row

LONDON (Reuters) - Police hunted on Saturday the killer of a young woman shot and killed in what detectives believe was a long-running dispute about parking spaces.

Krystal Hart, 22, was found with a gunshot wound by police in the hallway of her flat in Battersea, south London, on Friday shortly after 11 a.m.

Media reports said she was three months pregnant.

"We believe that this horrific murder could be the result of a disproportionate escalation of a neighbour dispute, possibly over parking and we are actively considering this as a line of inquiry," said Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton.

Police said two shots had been fired, one of which had hit Hart. Detectives are retrieving CCTV footage from the building where the shooting took place.

"She was looking forward to being a mum," Hart's stepfather Clive Lawrence told the Daily Telegraph.

"All I heard was what sounded like two backfires of a car. It was only later that I discovered it was my stepdaughter who had been shot."

The Sun newspaper reported that Hart had at one time worked as a secretary for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Local resident Belinda Hodge said news of the shooting had been a shock and she was unaware of any parking issues.