A young girl who was shot while having a family meal in London may never again “speak or move properly”, her parents have said.
The nine-year-old was shot in a Turkish restaurant in Hackney, north-east London, on 29 May by a man on a motorbike, who fired at least four rounds towards the restaurant. Her parents were sitting with her at the time.
In a statement, released by the Metropolitan police, the family said: “We are devastated about what has happened. Our daughter remains stable but in a critical condition.
“She only went there for ice-cream and now we do not know if we will ever get our daughter back to being the smart, funny girl that she was before and whether she will be able to ever speak or move properly again.”
They added: “We need our child back and we are all praying for her full recovery.”
The girl, who lived in Birmingham, had been visiting relatives in London on her half-term holiday. They had gone to Evin, a popular Turkish restaurant on Kingsland High Street, when an armed man on a motorbike pulled up at about 9.20pm and fired a volley of shots.
Three men sitting outside the restaurant, aged 37, 42 and 44, were also shot and injured but were later discharged from hospital
The Met has released three new photographs of a motorcyclist they want to trace. The images were taken in the Dalston area before and after the shooting.
DCS James Conway, police lead in Hackney, said he was renewing an appeal for information.
“Our investigation team has been working tirelessly to piece together what happened and to identify the dangerous individuals responsible for this shocking and indiscriminate act of violence.
“They are now in a position to release images of a suspect on a motorcycle that they are working to trace. We believe the motorcycle has been in the Peckham and Crystal Palace areas.
“Anyone who saw this motorcycle or who can help us identify the rider is urged to contact us immediately. Whoever this person is, they are dangerous and must be removed from our streets.”
Conway said the Met was investigating a possible link to organised criminal networks originating in Turkey, which he called “a critical line of inquiry”.
He asked those with information to “search your heart” and come forward.
“The nine-year-old girl who was injured was simply out having dinner with her family. She remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition,” he said.
“You might be a friend, partner or a family member of someone that you suspect may be involved. I urge you to search your heart to understand if your loyalty to friends or associates extends to covering up for an innocent child being shot.”
