Sixth person arrested on suspicion of murder after mother gunned down on doorstep ‘in case of mistaken identity’

A sixth person has been arrested on suspicion after a mother-of-four was shot dead on her doorstep. 

Joanne Penney, 40, was staying at a flat in Llys Illtyd, Talbot Green that was reportedly used as a drug den when a gunman shot her on the doorstep. 

Today, a 20-year-old man from St Mellons, Cardiff was arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. 

A total of six people have been taken into custody as South Wales continue their murder probe. 

Two men – aged 27 and 68 – as well as two women, aged 21 and 39, from Leicestershire were previously arrested in connection to the fatal shooting. 

A warrant of further detention for all four of the individuals was granted by magistrates earlier this afternoon. 

A 42-year-old local man was arrested at the scene on Sunday on suspicion of murder but has since been bailed for further enquiries following an allegation of assault.  

Detective Chief Superintendent Ceri Hughes said the force was making ‘significant progress’ in light of the recent arrests.  

She added: ‘The investigation into Joanne’s death is continuing and we have a team of experienced detectives and specialist staff working hard to establish the circumstances of this tragic incident.’  

Mother-of-four Joanne Penney has been named as the women shot dead on a doorstep at a property in Talbot Green 

The scene on March 9, last Sunday, after Joanne was shot dead on a doorstep in South Wales 

Friends believe the real target was a woman Joanne was staying with and she died because she opened the door to her killer. Both women are blonde and about the same age, according to neighbours.

A beige Nissan Note (BK61 ZDC) and a black Volvo XC40 (FD24 PZF) travvelled from the Leicester area arriving in South Wales at around 10.30am on March 9. 

Both vehicles, which have since been seized by police, left the scene following the fatal shooting. 

Police are using ANPR to track the movements of the cars on the 300 miles round trip and are appealing for anyone with dash cam footage of the vehicles to come forward.

In a previous statement Det Ch Supt Hughes said South Wales Police were working hard to establish a motive for the mother-of-four’s killing and were exploring several theories including ‘the possibility that she was the victim of mistaken identity’. 

Today, Det Ch Supt Hughes added: ‘We still want any dashcam footage, particularly from commercial vehicles, for any journeys on Sunday, including any dashcam footage or CCTV around Llys Illtyd and the nearby retail park between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Sunday March 9 which may have captured these vehicles and any witnesses.

‘Thank you to everyone who has spoken to us and who has assisted us with this investigation so far.

‘I would urge anyone who has information, either about Joanne’s death or what happened at the property in Llys Illtyd on Sunday evening, to do the right thing and come forward – the smallest piece of information could be of vital importance.’

Any one with information, CCTV, dashcam footage have been urged to submit it via the force’s online portal.

Alternatively, those with information can contact South Wales Police by calling 101 quoting occurrence number 2500075709.

Friends believe the real target was the woman Joanne was staying with and she died because she opened the door to her killer.

‘We all think it may have been mistaken identity. We can’t think why anyone should pick on her,’ one neighbour said

Those who want to get in contact anonymously can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Joanne’s grieving sister Nikki previously told how she was been left ‘broken’ by her death, posting a picture of the two blondes on Facebook.

 ‘Love you so much sis. I’m broken without you,’ she wrote along with heartbreak and crying emojis.

She had earlier posted a similar photo captioned: ‘I need you here.’

Joanne’s friend Rebecca Morris, 42, said: ‘They got the wrong person, I’m 100 per cent sure of it.

‘No one would want to kill Jo, she was a lovely woman with four children who would do no harm to anyone’

Neighbours on the Green Park Estate at Talbot Green, South Wales, heard a single shot at 6.10pm on Sunday evening.

Emergency services arrived to find a woman in a pool of blood and were unable to save her.

Mother-of-two Ms Morris said: ‘It wasn’t her flat, she was staying there with a friend. I used to live in that flat myself.

Floral tributes at the scene of the shooting in Talbot Green as South Wales Police continue their murder probe 

Police at the scene in Talbot Green on last Sunday  following the fatal shooting

‘I’m scared now because I’m blonde and about the same age and I used to live there.’

‘I’ve been crying all morning, I’m taking flowers down there and I’ve made a little memorial hanging for her.’

Locals said the shooting was ‘like an assassination’ and believe the killing may be drugs-related.

One neighbour said Jo only moved to stay with her friend around Christmas time.

‘She seemed nice but fairly shy. She moved over the border from England and was staying there.

‘We all think it may have been mistaken identity. We can’t think why anyone should pick on her – she may have just answered the door to the wrong person at the wrong time.’

Neighbours said the flat in the Llys Maelwg block in Green Park held raucous parties – with suspicions of drug taking.

The neighbour said: ‘Sundays can be terrible around there. We call it a crack house – and there are always problems on Sunday after a big night. But we’ve never heard of any guns being used before.’

Locals said the peace of the Green Park estate of Talbot Green was rocked by a shot at 6.10pm on Sunday evening.

A police cordon remained in place in Talbot Green yesterday as police investigations continue.

Images from the scene show investigators clad in white suits as well as uniformed officers surveying the surroundings

Calum Williams, who lives just a few houses away from the incident, said he heard the gunshot.

‘It’s terrible. I live just two doors down from where it happened. I was making a bottle for the baby and I heard a gunshot,’ he said: ‘It’s pretty frightening, especially with the baby.’

Carloyn Pugh, who lives nearby, said she heard the police helicopter hovering last night.

‘It was scary. Within seconds, they [police] were everywhere,’ she said.

‘You didn’t know what was happening but you knew there was something bad.

Police said Joanne was found suffering serious injuries and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector James Morris previously said: ‘I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night [Sunday].’