By Tony O’Reilly-
CCTV footage of the gunman fleeing after the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been released.
Merseyside Police revealed the shooter used two guns in the attack that killed the nine-year-old.
The force made more than 30 arrests in 24 hours as they crack down on organised crime after the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel(pictured)
Olivia was hit in the chest as her mother Cheryl Korbel tried to stop the gunman from entering their home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on 22 August.
The gunman fired at the two men as they were walking down Kingsheath Avenue.He proceeded to fire shots at Olivia’s mum, wounding her as she tried to shut the door on him. Olivia, who was believed to be standing behind her mum, was fatally wounded. The shooter then fired a further two shots at the 35-year-old man inside, drug dealer Joseph Nee, who was the intended target of the attack.
A 36-year-old man from Huyton and a 33-year-old from Dovecot were arrested on suspicion of murder and two counts of attempted murder in relation to Olivia’s death in the days after the shooting and have since been released on bail
Tragic Olivia is said to have been born prematurely, and was quite tiny for her age.The killing has horrified her school mates.
Her former headteacher, Rebecca Wilkinson, at St Margaret Mary’s Roman Catholic Junior School said Olivia was “an absolute credit to her family – she was one of these children who went out of her way to help. She added that her community school had been rocked by her senseless killing,
Speaking as the footage was released, Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen warned those who were “shielding” the culprit that officers would do “everything legitimately possible” to bring them to justice.
“It is beyond comprehension how anyone can protect a person who is responsible for killing a nine-year-old little girl,” he added.
Olivia died after being shot as her mother struggled with a gunman at the door of her home
In a press conference earlier, Det Ch Supt Kameen issued a direct plea to those who may have been asked to hide or dispose of the guns.
“I understand you may be frightened of contacting us, but I want you to do the right thing for Olivia and tell us where they are right now,” he said.
“If you are hiding the guns and you have no intention of telling us, then I place you in the same category as the vile man responsible for the [killing].
He said the gunman was wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava with a peak and black gloves, and he was described as about 5ft 7in (1.7m), with a slim build.
“This is the man we are hunting for – we need to know where he went that night or did you see him in the area?” he said.
“This man is toxic.
“He is toxic to our communities and if you are protecting him, he is toxic to you and your family.”
“I’m interested in speaking to him as he may have information that is important to the inquiry by virtue of the fact he was in the area at the right time,” he said.
Earlier, Ms Korbel, who is still receiving treatment for her injuries, and other family members visited the site to read the tributes left in the schoolgirl’s memory.
Inquest
Liverpool Senior Coroner Andre Rebello told the opening of the inquest that armed response officers found her with a gunshot wound to her chest.
He said a police officer had “scooped” up Olivia and ran with her to try to save her life, pressing his hand on her wound as she was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in the back of a police car.
However, despite the efforts of medical teams, she was pronounced dead at about 23:25 BST.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the chest.