Girl, 9, critically ill after shooting
A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl is fighting for her life after being the “innocent victim” of a shooting while having dinner in a restaurant with her family in Hackney, east London.
The child was injured when shots were fired from a motorbike outside, police said.
Three men, aged 26, 37 and 42, who were sitting outside the restaurant, were also injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
Their conditions are stable, but one potentially faces life-changing injuries.
Police were called to the scene on Kingsland High Street at around 9.20pm on Wednesday, with specialist firearms officers attending.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “We do not believe that the girl and the men injured were known to each other.
“As with any child, she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.”
A motorbike believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered in nearby Colvestone Crescent, which police said was stolen.
The force said officers were “keeping an open mind” as to the motive.
Mr Conway added: “We are keen to identify other witnesses who were in the area around the scene at the time of the shooting.
“Events such as these are rarely spontaneous. Someone knows who is responsible for this shooting that left a little girl fighting for her life.”
Rodrique Evans, 49, a former housing manager who lives near the restaurant, said: “
“You could hear the helicopter at about midnight.
“I’ve seen about 16 shootings and stabbings in the area in the last couple of years.”