A nine-year-old girl was shot and killed in Liverpool and two other people were injured after a man fired a gun into a house.
Merseyside Police have launched a murder investigation and have launched a manhunt for the killer.
Officers were called to reports of a shooting at a house in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, at 10pm on Monday.
The child suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
The child suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
“This is a truly shocking incident where a tragic young and innocent girl has been shot and sadly died,” said Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, of Merseyside Police.
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Police said in a statement on Tuesday morning that the girl’s family members have been informed and are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers.
The scene in Notty Ash, Liverpool, where a nine-year-old girl was fatally shot
(Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to her family and friends at this very difficult time. No parent should ever have to suffer the loss of a child in these terrible circumstances,” Ms Sims said.
The other injured in the accident are a man and a woman, who were taken to hospital for treatment. The man suffered gunshot wounds to his body, while the woman suffered one to her arm, according to police.
Describing the crime as “heinous”, Ms Sims said the suspect “doesn’t deserve to be walking the streets”.
Police are conducting CCTV, forensics and house-to-house inquiries into the incident, the statement said.
“We are running a number of lines of inquiry as a matter of urgency and will be appealing for dash cam, CCTV or mobile phone footage from anyone who lives, works or visited the Kingsheath Avenue area last night,” Ms Sims added.
Forensic officers near the scene in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, where a nine-year-old girl was fatally shot
(PA)
A resident of Notty Ash, Liverpool, said she saw police at the scene of the shooting that left a nine-year-old girl dead when she woke up at midnight.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “I haven’t lived here long but you really don’t hear things like this happening here.
“I woke up at 12am and the police were already here.
“I didn’t hear anything, but what happened is terrible.
Assistant Mayor Harry Doyle said he was the same age as Rhys Jones, who was fatally shot in Croxteth 15 years ago.
“We knew something was going on last night, we could see police lights, but waking up to the news this morning was devastating,” Mr Doyle said The Independent.
“We are a tight-knit community here, kids often play together in the street, there will be kids here who have just lost a friend.”
On the anniversary of Rhys Jones, he added: “I remember the atmosphere in the city, and not just the city in fact, the whole country, around the shooting of Rhys Jones was just terrible.
“I remember my family being the same – I look at the families this morning on the doorstep – just as worried, concerned and devastated.
“My mother wouldn’t let me walk to school at that time. It is unthinkable and unbelievable that this will happen again in 15 years.
“We thought we were going to get rid of this violence and this week we saw it come back.”
Mayor of Liverpool Metro Steve Rotherham said: “I am absolutely sickened by this senseless loss of a young girl’s life. An innocent child, with her whole life ahead of her, has not only her future stolen, but her entire family.
“The heartbreak and pain they must be feeling today is unimaginable and my thoughts are with them and all who knew and loved her.”
Mr Rotherham added that the nine-year-old’s death comes as residents remember the fatal shooting of Rhys Jones, which shook the region “to its core”.
Rhys Jones was shot dead in 2007
(REUTERS/Merseyside Police/Handout)
Paula Barker, Labor MP for Liverpool Wavertree said: “It is obviously horrific that another young life has been tragically lost 15 years after the death of Rhys Jones. This is in my colleague Ian Byrne’s constituency, it borders my constituency. The feeling is one of shock and grief
“This is senseless violence, Ashley [Dale] was my constituent and it’s just indescribable really.
“There is a culture in the city that people shouldn’t pick on each other, what I would say clearly is that if anyone has any information about murders in the city in recent weeks please contact Merseyside Police, 9-year-old a child is lost their life.”
On the same night as the Notty Ash shootings, two men were arrested for the fatal stabbing of a woman in her 50s in Cherryfield Drive, Kirkby.
In a separate incident, Knowsley Council worker Ashley Dale, 28, died after being shot in the Old Swan area of Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday.
Police are still searching for two people who fled on e-bikes after the fatal shooting of a man in his 20s in Toxteth town center late on August 16.
Merseyside Police asked anyone with information about the Knotty Ash shootings to message MerPolCC directly or call CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111, quoting log 1083 of August 22.