Nine-Year-old Girl “Fighting for Her Life” after London Shooting

A nine-year-old girl is “fighting for her life” following a shooting that injured three adults in Hackney, east London.

The “innocent victim” was eating supper with her family at a restaurant on Kingsland High Street in Dalston when shots were fired from outside around 21:20 BST on Wednesday, London Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent James Conway told the BBC.

Three guys, ages 26, 37, and 42, sitting outside the restaurant were also hurt by a gunshot, which was suspected to have come from a stolen motorcycle.

They and the little girl, who are not known to each other, remain in the hospital, with one of the guys possibly suffering “life-changing” injuries.
Forensic officers have been carrying out searches throughout the area, particularly outside St Mark’s Church.

According to Ch Supt James Conway, there were two crime scenes: one where the shooting occurred and another at Colvestone Crescent, where the motorcycle was discovered.

He said, “We don’t believe the girl and the injured males knew one other.

“As with any child, she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.”

He continued, “Events like these are rarely spontaneous.

“Someone knows who is responsible for this shooting that has left a “little girl fighting for her life.”

Officers were “keeping an open mind” about the motive, Ch Supt Conway said.

This morning, half-finished drinking cups remained on the tables of the Evin restaurant, with broken glass and chairs strewn across the floor.

Ayo Adesina, 40, the owner of nearby Aso Rock Restaurant, said he was “stunned” by the shooting.

“I heard gunshots, but at the moment I assumed it was simply a car.

“I looked down the road and saw a large mass of people.

“I got on an e-bike and went up there and saw a man on the floor who wasn’t moving.”

Mr. Adesina described the shooting as “crazy“.

“It’s a high street where, especially in the summertime, people sit outside – whoever did this is very reckless,” he stated.

“People are walking up and down that high street – I’ve been to that restaurant with my family.”

He said that there had been “loads of police, probably at least 25 or 30 cars,” as well as “maybe 200 people crowded around”.

Another homeowner, Dave Evans, who heard gunshots while walking his dog, told the BBC that it was “part of living in Hackney”.

“If I had arrived five minutes earlier, who knows what would have happened, it’s not good for the community.”

He went on to say, “People were shouting in the cafe, and there were several people lying on the floor, indicating that something really awful had happened.

“There are a variety of people living here, but there is currently a lot of tension. “People are feeling it right now.”

Ch Supt Conway added: “We are looking for more witnesses who were around the location at the time of the shooting.

“Similarly, if you were in the Kingsland High Street area at the time of the shooting and have information or footage from a phone or other device, please share that with us.”

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