Cheryl Korbel did what many people would do if they heard a commotion outside, she opened her front door to see what was going on.
The nightmare that followed could have been a scene from any number of TV and film dramas.
Police say that a 35-year-old man and another man had been walking down Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, Liverpool, shortly before 10pm on Monday evening. They were approached by a gunman coming from the same direction who was wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava with a peak, dark pants and black gloves. He shot at them and the two men ran.
It was then that Cheryl Korbel opened the front door of her house, which was diagonally across the road, to see what was going on. The 35-year-old man saw the door opening and he ran towards it, forcing his way in despite the best efforts of Korbel to keep him out.
The gunman evidently saw what was happening and followed his prey into the house as Korbel, 46, continued to try to close the door and keep him out. A shot was fired that police believe hit Korbel, injuring her, before fatally wounding her nine-year-old daughter Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was stood directly behind her mother at the foot of the stairs.
Despite the horror of that, the attacker then continued to make his way in to the house, firing two shots into the upper body of the 35-year-old man. The gunman then made his escape on foot. A dark Audi car pulled up outside the house shortly after Korbel and Olivia were shot and the now wounded 35-year-old man was collected and taken to hospital.
Olivia, meanwhile, lay dying. When police arrived they could see how poor Olivia’s state was and straight away took the girl to the nearby Alder Hey children’s hospital. Despite the best efforts of medical staff, Olivia died.
She had been at home with her mother and two older siblings.
Detectives say the Audi has been seized. Cheryl Korbel is being treated in hospital for an injury to her arm. The 35-year-old man is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries in hospital.
The gunman is described as being about 5ft 7in and of slim build.
DCS Mark Kameen said he wanted to reassure people that “we have an incredibly experienced team of detectives now engaged on this inquiry.
“They are going to be working tirelessly … and we are absolutely committed to finding those responsible and everyone connected with this offence.”
He called on the gunman, and the second man in the street, to hand themselves in.
Kameen also made a general appeal for any information regarding who was responsible, their location and the whereabouts of the weapon that was used. “I’m interested of course in CCTV and that could be from private CCTV in people’s homes, or through your doorbells, or dashcam footage. We have launched a major incident portal on our website and that information can be uploaded directly to us.
“I’m also interested in any information or speculation that people hear. We know that names will be circulating in the communities very quickly … I want to hear about those things.”
All information, Kameen said, would be handled in absolute confidence. “It is absolutely critical that this individual and everybody surrounding this crime, is identified and swiftly brought to justice. They have no place in our communities.”
Anyone with information is asked to send a direct message to the @MerPolCC Twitter account or call Crimestoppers UK on 0800 555 111, quoting log 1083 of 22 August.
