Girl, 9, still fighting for her life as doctors unable 'to remove the bullet' after drive-by shooting
The family of a nine-year-old child who was injured in a shooting in Hackney have said she is still fighting for her life, and that doctors haven't been able to remove the bullet that struck her.
The nine-year-old girl was among those injured in a shooting on 29 May on Kingsland High Street, Hackney.
Three adults were also wounded, with men aged 44, 42 and 37 admitted to hospital.
The 37-year-old has since been discharged, while Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said that one of the other two men may have suffered life-changing injuries.
The little girl is still in a critical condition, and the police have issued an appeal to anyone who knows something that might help piece together what happened.
DCS Conway said: "We remain in close contact with our colleagues in the NHS who have worked around the clock to provide urgent care to the victims, including the young girl, who I’m very sad to say remains in a critical condition.
"We know that the offender fired from a motorbike at approximately 9.20pm on Wednesday evening.
"The bike was a Ducati Monster with a white body, red chassis and red wheels. Our officers have now established that the motorbike was previously stolen in 2021 from a property in Wembley.
"At the time of the shooting, the bike was displaying the registration plate DP21 OXY.
"I want to hear from anyone who might recognise it – I’m particularly keen to hear from you if you saw it on the day of the incident."
According to the Daily Mirror, the nine-year-old's grandmother, named Mary, has provided an update on the girl's condition.
She said: "The child is on the ventilator. Even after major surgery, the doctors haven't been able to remove the bullet. Another major operation is scheduled after two days."
The young girl had been eating dinner at a restaurant in the area with her family when the shooting occurred, and at least two of the men who had been injured were sitting outside.
The police are appealing to local communities to come forward with any information that could point towards the perpetrators.
DCS Conway said the three men injured in the shooting 'have connections' to London's Turkish and Kurdish communities, and appealed to the groups to provide any knowledge they had.
He said: "This shocking attack will have had an element of pre-planning. This means there are people out there who know something which may be crucial to our investigation.
“Gun crime has no place on the streets of London and this reckless act has left a young child fighting for her life.
“We are specifically reaching out to our Turkish and Kurdish communities, particularly in north and east London, who I know are shocked and appalled by this crime."
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Joe Harker