Police have urged anyone with information on the killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel to come forward, saying “silence is not an option”.
In a video released on social media, Merseyside police said anyone withholding information was “protecting the killers”.
WATCH | When it comes to catching murderers, silence is not an option. The progress we've made in seeking justice for Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Ashley Dale & Sam Rimmer is thanks to info from the public. Sadly we now all know Olivia, Ashley & Sam's names. Now we need their killer's. pic.twitter.com/IaayQd8UFN
— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) August 28, 2022
In the video, a voiceover states: “We’ve got parents who’ve lost their children. We’ve got a nine-year-old girl who won’t celebrate her 18th birthday. She won’t celebrate her wedding. She won’t have children of her own.
“If you’ve got information and you’re withholding it, you’re protecting the killers. We need your information. Provide that information to us and we’ll do the rest.”
Olivia was shot dead on Monday night after a stranger, 35-year-old Joseph Nee, burst into her home while fleeing a gunman.
Olivia’s mother, Cheryl, sustained a gunshot wound to the wrist while trying to stop the gunman from entering. Nee was shot in the leg and torso. Both adults survived the attack, which police said crossed “every boundary”.
Police have bailed two men, aged 36 and 33, arrested on Friday on suspicion of murdering Olivia. Both were from the local area.
After the arrests, police said: “The investigation into Olivia’s tragic murder is ongoing and we still need to build up a strong evidential picture so that we can bring those responsible to justice.”
Police have released a picture of an Audi Q3 that is believed to have taken Nee to Aintree hospital after he was picked up by a driver and a passenger. They are keen to speak to anyone who saw this car in the days leading up to the shooting or has any information about its movements after it left Kingsheath Avenue on the night.
On Saturday, the Liverpool footballer Jordan Henderson paid tribute to Olivia after the team’s 9-0 win against Bournemouth, wearing a shirt reading: “RIP Olivia YNWA [You’ll Never Walk Alone].”
That was for Olivia ❤️ #YNWA pic.twitter.com/dC52IRP8f8
— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) August 27, 2022
Before the match at Anfield, the Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, spoke about being “incredibly shocked” to hear of Olivia’s murder.
Klopp wrote in his programme notes: “Nine years old? How can this happen? How is it even possible? I cannot comprehend it and the more I think about it, the more difficult it becomes to understand.
“That it could happen in a city as special as this one where people look out for one another and stand together makes even less sense. I would like to pass on the sympathies of everyone at Liverpool to Olivia’s family. They are in my thoughts and prayers.”
The Anfield crowd gave a standing ovation to the nine-year-old during the match.
Olivia’s killing was the third shooting death in Liverpool in the space of a week.
Police have arrested the suspected killer of Ashley Dale, a 28-year-old council worker shot outside her home in Old Swan last Sunday, in what is thought to be a case of mistaken identity.
Separately, three men were arrested on suspicion of murdering 22-year-old Sam Rimmer, who was shot dead in the Dingle area on 16 August. They have been released on bail.
