9-Year-Old Girl Killed in Liverpool Shooting, 'Target' Arrested, British Public Shocked
The likely target of the gunman who killed a 9-year-old girl in a shooting in Liverpool has been arrested, in a killing that has shocked public opinion in England.
The man – the BBC reports – will be questioned over the murder. Little Olivia Pratt-Korbel died as her mother struggled with two men, one armed with a gun, in the doorway of her home in Liverpool on Monday evening. Merseyside Police said a 35-year-old man who was also shot was being held in custody and will now be questioned.
The injured man, who has no connection to the family in question, is in stable condition in hospital. The reconstruction of what happened is also shocking. A 35-year-old man, chased by an armed man, entered the home in Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, of Olivia and her mother, who had opened the front door to understand what was happening given the commotion she could hear coming from outside. The gunman started shooting indiscriminately, hitting Olivia in the chest and her mother Cheryl, who hastily tried to close the door, in the wrist.
The little girl sadly did not make it and died after being taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital by police. Before officers arrived, the gunman fired two more shots through a hole in the door, hitting his original target in the upper body, before running away, leaving the little girl and her mother on the ground. He was described as a slim man, about 170cm tall, wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava and black gloves.
The injured 35-year-old was instead taken away by an Audi, also black. Law enforcement had previously said that the officers had been given the same name by two different sources in the hunt for the armed man. The investigation “on the shocking murder of Olivia” are continuing, Captain Mark Kameen explained, adding that the police “supports his family as they try to come to terms with this tragedy.”
“I would like to echo the words of our police chief yesterday [and] appeal to the community to continue to help this family in any way possible.”, he added, “We will do everything we can to get all those involved in gun crime off the streets, as this arrest demonstrates.”.
He stressed that this “This is not the time for those who know who is responsible to remain silent.” “It is time for all of us to make Merseyside a place where the use of guns on our streets is totally unacceptable and those who use them are held to account.”, urged the captain, “If you have seen, heard, captured or learned something, please let us know directly or anonymously and we will continue to take action”.
On Twitter, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the shooting was “horrific” and “senseless” and that his thoughts were with Olivia’s family and “to the people of Liverpool”. He added that Merseyside Police will have “everything he needs to catch those responsible and ensure justice for Olivia.”
Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson tweeted that “someone out there knows who did this”, adding: “For Olivia and for the safety of our city’s communities, you must step up.”
Article published on 25 August 2022 - 12:45
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