Last night, a little girl was playing at home with her mum and older siblings when a stranger in a balaclava invaded their home and shot her dead.
The horror unfolded in a terraced house on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, shortly before 10pm last night (Monday August 22). Within seconds, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was dying and her mum, 46-year-old Cheryl Korbel, was wounded and in the grip of unimaginable grief.
Olivia's death is the latest, most shocking incident in a tragic week for the city and Merseyside Police. From 13 months without a gun murder, the force has launched three major investigations into firearms deaths in the space of one week. Meanwhile, Kirkby nan Karen Dempsey was also fatally stabbed last night while trying to break up a fight.
READ MORE: Solidarity is Liverpool's strength. Today it must mean helping to catch Olivia's killers
The final, desperate moments of Olivia's life were revealed during a sombre press conference at Merseyside Police HQ in Rose Hill this lunchtime. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy and Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, gave a breakdown of the known facts, with each detail more atrocious than the last.
What we know so far is that shortly before 10pm St Margaret Mary's Primary School pupil Olivia was at home with her mum and two older siblings. Outside, two men were walking down Kingsheath Avenue, heading away from Finch Lane.
For unknown reasons, they were being trailed by a slim man, standing at around 5ft 7ins, with murderous intentions. He was wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava with a peak, dark pants and black gloves and carrying a handgun.
DCS Kameen told the media: "From what we now know from a review of some CCTV that we have acquired so far, this person shot at the two men who were walking down Kingsheath Avenue.
"Both men responded by running away from that person with a firearm. Responding to the sound of those gunshots, Olivia's mum, Cheryl, opened the door to her property in order to see what was going on outside."
Tragically for the family, the lack of side roads leading off Kingsheath Avenue in the area of the shooting appears to have directed the fleeing 35-year-old man to the one escape route he could see - their front door.
DCS Kameen said: One of the men, a 35-year-old man, appears to have seen the door opening and ran towards the opening of that door. He has then forced his way into the property despite the very best efforts of Cheryl and has made his way inside."
The gunman, with zero regard for the safety of those inside, chased his target to the family home and managed to get his hand through the door, firing a shot. The bullet hit Cheryl in the arm and then struck little Olivia, who was standing directly behind her mum by a staircase. Even then, the gunman carried on his attack with twisted determination.
DCS Kameen said: "Despite those horrific circumstances, the attacker has continued the assault, and has continued to try and gain entry to the property. In doing so he has fired two further shots at the 35-year-old man who at this point is inside Cheryl and Olivia's home address. The attacker has then left the front door and has made off on foot."
The media were told a dark coloured Audi car arrived on scene and collected the injured 35-year-old man, leaving the dying Olivia and her wounded mum to their fates, before speeding him to hospital. That vehicle has since been seized.
The firs police officers on the scene, realising how gravely wounded Olivia was, decided to rush her straight to Alder Hey Children's Hospital themselves, only a stones throw away from the scene. Alder Hey staff tried their very best to save her, but her injuries were too severe and she was pronounced dead a short time later.
DCS Kameen said the wounded 35-year-old was undergoing surgery this morning and has yet to be spoken to formally. The other man chased by the gunman has not yet been traced and detectives are desperate to speak with him.
Chief Constable Kennedy described the impact of the atrocity on Olivia's family. She said: "Her family are absolutely devastated, inconsolable and heartbroken. I know the murder of Olivia has rocked our communities, who are quite rightly upset, and outraged, that such an abhorrent crime has occurred here, on the streets of Merseyside.
"The people of Liverpool and Merseyside are known for their compassion and pulling together at times of crisis. I know that in our communities people are wanting to help the family in any way possible.
"This is not the time for anyone who knows who is responsible for this shooting to remain tight-lipped. It is time for our communities to come together with us and make Merseyside a place where the use of guns on our streets is totally unacceptable and those who use them are held to account.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with Olivia's family, who have been torn apart. No mum, no dad, no sister or brother should ever have to experience loss in this way."
On Kingsheath Avenue, a dad was visibly stunned as he spoke to the ECHO. He said: "We heard a couple of pops, around five, at about 9.40pm last night. We thought it was fireworks."
He said he found the following morning that the victim was Olivia, who used to play out with his son on the street. He said: "She was a nice little girl, she liked to ride her bike up and down. We are just in shock, it hasn't settled in yet.
"We wanted to move before this happened, but this has cemented it for us."
At one house, a little girl, who looked a similar age to Olivia, held up a note saying: "Want to be careful, wanted people on the loose they have guns."
Before Olivia's name was released to the public, one mum near the police cordon said: "We heard around four bangs last night, just at the end of the football [Man Utd vs Liverpool].
"We heard on the news this morning. It's sickening. I don't even want to know her name in case we know her, my kids probably do."
At the press conference, DCS Kameen spoke directly to the killer. He said: "My appeal is to the person responsible for this attack on this nine-year-old schoolgirl to recognise the pain and anguish that this has caused her family. I want that individual to hand themselves in.
"I also want the second man in the street, with the 35-year-old man, to make himself known to us. A general appeal; the local community are absolutely our eyes and ears of our intelligence and will help us solve this horrific crime.
"Therefore I need them to work with us and provide to us any information at all regarding who was responsible, their current location, the whereabouts of the weapon that was used or indeed any other information that provides us with a full understanding of what has taken place and allows us to successfully prosecute those responsible."
Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or call @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting log 1083 of 22 nd August.
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