Police continue to search for the gunman who shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool.
Image source, Family Handout/PAA man targeted by a gunman in the shooting that killed nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel is due to face further questioning about her murder.
Olivia was shot as her mother struggled with two men, one with a gun, at her home in Liverpool on Monday night.
The intended victim of the shooting has been named as 35-year-old Joseph Nee, a convicted drug dealer.
Police have not publicly identified Nee, but said a man had been detained and would be interviewed.
Nee, who was also shot, was jailed in the past for drug offences, and in 2018 for three years and nine months for burglary.
He was also previously convicted of two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
Image source, Cheshire Police
On Wednesday, Merseyside Police said a 35-year-old man injured in the shooting would be recalled to prison for allegedly breaching the terms of his licence conditions with “poor behaviour”.
The man, who was in a stable condition, had been detained in hospital and would be “further questioned” in connection with Olivia’s death, the force said.
Police said, in the hunt for the gunman, officers had been given the same name by two different sources.
Both men have no links to Olivia’s family, police said.
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Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen said Olivia’s death, as well as the recent shootings of 28-year-old Ashley Dale in Old Swan and 22-year-old Sam Rimmer in Dingle, were all “receiving first-class treatment and will continue to do so”.
He said the force was “absolutely dedicated” to ensuring there were sufficient resources to investigate each case and police raids carried out across Liverpool on Wednesday were in response to the deaths and organised crime.
He said: “We’re proactive, we’re hard-edged and we’ll take the fight to the criminal.”
Image source, PA Media
In a tweet, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the shooting was “horrific” and “senseless” and that his thoughts were with Olivia’s family and “the people of Liverpool”.
Merseyside Police would get “whatever they need to catch those responsible and secure justice for Olivia”, added the PM.
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 come forward.”
The force has previously said:
- The 35-year-old, who has been named independently as Nee, ran into Olivia’s home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, followed by a man armed with a handgun, after her mother Cheryl Korbel opened the door to see what the noise was outside at about 22:00 BST
- Olivia was fatally shot and Ms Korbel was shot in the wrist as she tried to shut the door
- The gunman then fired two more times through the gap in the door, hitting Nee in the upper body, before running away
- The 35-year-old was then driven away in a black Audi, while Olivia and Ms Korbel were left behind
- The gunman was described as about 5ft 7in (170cm), of slim build, carrying a handgun and wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava and black gloves
Mr Kameen said inquiries were continuing “into the shocking murder of Olivia” and the force was “supporting her family as they try to come to terms with this tragedy”.
He echoed previous appeals to “keep helping this family in every way possible”, adding that this was “not the time for anyone who knows who was responsible to stay silent”.
“If you saw, heard, captured or know anything, tell us directly or anonymously and we will continue to act.”
Image source, PA Media
In tribute, Olivia’s head teacher Rebecca Wilkinson said the pupil who attended St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton was “a little ray of sunshine”.
She was a “lively little soul [who was] very, very popular with all her peers” and the school was in “shock and disbelief”, she added.
Jean Martindale, whose grandson was in the same class as Olivia said he was “very, very sad”.
The resident who has lived in the area for 52 years said the death of Olivia had been “absolutely devastating” for the close-knit community – “you can feel it, the atmosphere in the air, it’s horrible”.
She said she was confident the person responsible would be caught and believed “whoever does know anything will give names in”.
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