THE suspect of the fatal Valentine’s Day shooting outside a pub made a chilling confession before he “jumped off QE2 bridge”, pals have claimed.
Prime suspect Edvard Stockings, who also goes by the surname Smith, called Leslie Thompson and stated: “She’s dead, I love you. I’ll see you on the other side.”
Lisa Smith, 43, was brutally gunned down by a man “known to her” at the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt, Kent, on February 14.
Stockings – Lisa’s husband – was later named as prime suspect in the brutal killing.
Kent Police fear the horror was a murder suicide, with Stockings understood to have jumped to his death from QE2 bridge.
Thompson told the BBC how his phone rang at around 20:50 with Stockings telling him: “I can’t live, we’ve all gone together” and that “armed police will probably shoot me”.
The pal also said he was “baffled” as both Stockings and Lisa were “the life and soul of the party”.
Thompson then added how Stockings was “unbelievably close” to his father and as such had been deeply affected following his death two years ago.
He said that he must have had a “breakdown” concluding that he was “one million per cent sure” that Stockings is “in the river”.
Cops believe Stockings may have driven to the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge near Dartford and entered the River Thames although he is yet to have been found.
Kent Police are believed to be probing whether the horror was a murder suicide as river crews search the Thames for their prime suspect, Lisa’s husband Edvard Stockings.
He was seen on the wrong side of the barrier 17 miles away at Dartford Crossing after the shooting.
At 7pm on Saturday, Kent Police found an abandoned vehicle and firearm linked to him on the QE2 bridge.
Detective Chief Inspector David Higham said he is “not ruling out the possibility that he may have entered the water“.
He added: “We are currently only looking for one suspect and do not believe there to be an ongoing risk to the public.
“Specialist officers continue to work with the families of both parties involved to support them following this tragic incident.”
It comes as a source said Lisa – also known as Lisa Stockings – had been in the pub with a female friend the night of the tragedy.
Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots from outside the venue.
Emergency services sadly pronounced the 43-year-old dead at the scene.
Tributes poured in for the mum-of-two after she was pictured for the first time.
Her heartbroken son Teejay Smith shared an emotional statement alongside pictures of Lisa.
The 19-year-old posted a photograph of the pair, writing: “My mum, the best woman to walk in two shoes.”
Teejay included a number of heart-wrenching snaps of his mum, with one showing Lisa posing next to an Amy Winehouse statue and another of her glammed up for a glitzy event.
Posting a video of floral tributes left at the scene, Donna Kidd said: “Taken way too soon, our lady Lisa girl loved forever and always never be another Lisa.
“Girl love from all your girls.”
Marylou Tom Harber added: “No words so sad RIP Lisa girl to beautiful for this earth.”
Meanwhile tributes were left at the scene, with flowers and balloons, placed on a nearby section of grass.
One touching card read: “Our love and prayers are with your family, especially your boys and granddaughter.
“May they continue to frown knowing the love you always showed them.
“May your light continue to shine as bright as it always has.”
Two other cards read: “Dear Lisa, rest in peace.”
Many people had left Red Bull along with their written tributes.
One said: “She was a wonderful mum, a beautiful woman, they’d just had a granddaughter. They had everything going for them.
“I just can’t understand what happened, they were so happy.
“We know them from Lingfield, we’re family, my son grew up with theirs.
“She had two children, they were 21 and 10 – how do you explain to a 10 year old what’s happened?”
‘WONDERFUL MUM’
The second devastated mourner said: “She was a great, great woman, I just can’t believe it.”
Balloons with the words “a wonderful mum” had also been left tied to a brick near the flowers.
Another balloon had the Disney mermaid Ariel.
Later a floral tribute and note was left by a woman who knew Lisa as a customer from her shop.
Fighting back tears, she said: “She was beautiful – an absolutely beautiful woman.
“Just gorgeous, a lovely family. I knew her and her family for years, her kids too, she was lovely.
“You just can’t know why things like this happen.”
One source said Lisa had been in the pub with a female friend before she was pronounced dead at the scene following the tragedy.
‘SCREAMING, CRYING, SHOUTING’
The pub’s landlady Michelle Thomas has described how the tragedy unfolded while she was printing off menus for Valentine’s Day dinner service.
Michelle says she heard two bangs as Lisa was shot, with the mum-of-two later being pronounced dead at the scene.
She told Sky News: “There was so much commotion – screaming, shouting, crying. People were outside, on their phones.
“We tried to get people inside the pub to consolidate them. People were only just starting to sit down, it was early on in the evening.”
As 30 people were seated for dinner, another 20 were situated in the bar as the shocking shooting began.
The landlady described the community as experiencing “absolute shock” as the pub reopened for the first time on Sunday following the tragedy.
Terrified locals claimed they heard “three loud bangs” after the woman was shot dead outside the pub on Friday night.
Another revealed how petrified couples were “locked in” the pub for their own safety.
The villager, who lives close to the pub, said: “I heard three loud bangs and a bit of commotion.”
Zack Warne, 19, added: “It is shocking, this is Knockholt, not south London.
“The helicopter was up all night.”
Joyce Betts, 82, who lives nearby, continued: “My granddaughter called me and said ‘make sure your windows and doors are locked’.
“I could see lights outside but I couldn’t tell what was going on it was coming through that someone had been shot, I thought oh my God that’s all we need in our sleepy little village.”
‘LOCKED IN’
One villager, who would only give her name as Julie, said armed police swooped on the pub.
She said: “My brother-in-law and sister-in-law were in the pub for valentines dinner. They were locked in.
“I was texting them making sure they were okay. There were armed police all over the pub.
“When they were told to come home they had to have their picture taken and they were escorted home by the police.
“It is scary. It was really distressing for them.”
Ray Picot, 70, said: “Just after 7pm I heard the shots. Bang, bang. I thought it was a road traffic collision at first.
“I thought ‘oh no not another accident’. The helicopter was buzzing around for hours.
“I’ve lived here 30 years and it’s a real shock. It’s such a quiet area.”
Officers and South East Coast Ambulance Service paramedics had rushed to the pub in the quiet village after reports of a disturbance at the Three Horseshoes pub.
There, they discovered Lisa who had suffered injuries “consistent with gunshot wounds” and she was declared deceased at the scene shortly after 7pm on Friday.
Following the horrific shooting, the pub released a statement that read: “Following the official press release of the tragic incident that happened on the premises last night – all of us at the Three Horseshoes want to send our sincere condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
“We also want to send our support to anyone else in the local and surrounding community who have been impacted by this.
“Please be respectful of everyone involved at this difficult time, thank you.”
Kent Police have been contacted for further information.
