A man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a nine-year-old girl at her home in Liverpool.
Merseyside Police said the 35-year-old man, suspected to have been the target of the shooting, has been detained in hospital on a prison recall after breaching the terms of his licence.
He will be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his licence. He will be further questioned in connection with the murder and remains in a stable condition, the force added.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed by a masked attacker who had chased a man into her terraced home in Kingsheath Avenue, in the Dovecot area of the city, on Monday night.
Her mother had opened the front door after hearing a commotion outside, and a man being pursued forced his way into the house in an attempt to get away from the shooter.
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Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, was shot in the wrist as she tried to close the door on the gunman, who fired indiscriminately into the house.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Police call on criminals to ‘examine their consciences’ and give up gunman who killed nine-year-old
Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, killed in Liverpool after gunman chased man into her home
Girl, 9, shot dead in Liverpool as Merseyside Police launch murder investigation
The youngster was fatally shot by the same bullet as she stood behind her.
The man who had entered the family home suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body and, as Olivia lay dying, was picked up and taken to hospital by friends driving a dark-coloured Audi which has since been seized by police.
Officers arrived and found Olivia with a gunshot injury to her chest.
They took Olivia to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where she later died.
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Mrs Korbel, who was taken to another hospital by paramedics, is recovering from her gunshot wound.
Police have been conducting house-to-house enquiries and reviewing CCTV footage.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said following the arrest: “Our enquiries continue into the shocking murder of Olivia, and supporting her family as they try to come to terms with this tragedy.
“I would like to echo the words of our chief constable yesterday and appeal to the community to keep helping this family in every way possible. We will do all we can to take all of these involved in gun crime off the streets, as this arrest demonstrates.
“This is not the time for anyone who knows who was responsible to stay silent. It is a time for us all to make Merseyside a place where the use of guns on our streets is totally unacceptable and those who use them are held to account. If you saw, heard, captured or know anything, tell us directly or anonymously and we will continue to act.”
The gunman was described as wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava with a peak, dark trousers and black gloves.
He fired shots at two men as they walked along Kingsheath Avenue, causing both to run away – one of them into Olivia’s house.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy on Tuesday said the “shocking” killing of Olivia “crosses every single boundary” as the force appealed to Liverpool’s “criminal fraternity” for information.
The Liverpool Echo said the killing had “shocked the city” and made a front page appeal for help, telling its readers to “imagine the agony of Olivia’s family as they are told she did not make it – murdered in her own home”.
The newspaper stated: “Imagine knowing something about this unspeakable crime but keeping quiet because you would rather surrender our city to the thugs than to get justice for Olivia.
“If this is you, ask yourself… whose side are you on?”
Olivia went to St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton, where she was thought of as a kind-hearted, helpful and happy little girl, according to her headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson.
She said: “Olivia was a much-loved member of our school. She had a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour and a bubbly personality.
“She was kind-hearted and would go out of her way to help others.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson described the killing as an “abhorrent act of evil”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the shooting was an “unimaginable tragedy” and pledged Merseyside Police would get “whatever they need to catch those responsible”.
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