Police have said it was an “absolute miracle” that a 15-year-old girl survived after she was shot in a hail of bullets at a bus stop in Liverpool.
The teenager is in a serious but stable condition in hospital following the “cowardly” drive-by shooting in the Toxteth area of the city on Tuesday, detectives said.
The girl had finished school and is believed to have been standing at a bus stop on Upper Warwick Street when she was struck in the upper body shortly after 5pm.
A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. A second man, in his 60s, has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Detectives on Wednesday urged motorists in the area to come forward with any dashcam footage potentially showing men in dark clothing riding electric bikes. The offenders are believed to have been wearing balaclavas or masks.
Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen said the teenager suffered a gunshot wound to her upper body and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. He said it was an “absolute miracle and a credit to the NHS” that she survived.
In a press conference at Merseyside police headquarters, detectives said they believed more than one offender was involved and that about four electric bikes may have been in use at the time.
They said the attackers, who fired multiple shots, made off towards North Hill Street and the Princes Road area.
Upper Warwick street, where the shooting took place, is a busy road with shops, businesses, residential addresses and a large youth centre. The bus stop is overlooked by a three-floor block of flats and opposite a community hub.
A short time after police were called to the Toxteth shooting, a 21-year-old man arrived at hospital with a gunshot wound to his hand.
Detectives said they believed that the two incidents were connected, but were keeping an open mind.
Kameen said: “It is still, and I have to reassure everyone, very early days in this investigation, however we are working incredibly hard, late into the night and from the early hours of the morning to ensure that this investigation has the absolute traction that it definitely requires.”
Police were making house-to-house inquiries and CCTV was being checked, the force said in a statement.
Anyone with any information has been asked to direct message the Twitter account @MerPolCC or CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111, anonymously quoting log 647 of 1 March.
