Homes were being raided by police in Liverpool today after a shocking series of gun murders across the city. The police action follows the murder in her own home of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot as she stood behind her mother when a gunman ran into their terraced house.
Olivia was fatally wounded when the masked man opened fire through a gap in the doorway on Monday night. Police said at a press conference the gunman, who was wearing a balaclava, approached two men on Kingsheath Avenue, in the Dovecot area of the city, and opened fire at them just before 10pm.
Olivia's mum, Cheryl, opened the front door to see what was happening before one man forced his way into her home, followed by the gunman. A number of shots were fired. One bullet hit Cheryl in the wrist and Olivia in the chest. She died later, prompting outrage nationwide and tributes across the city, with children holding hands in tears as flowers were left at the scene.
