London: A nine-year-old girl, yet to be formally named but identified as a schoolgirl from Kerala on a day out in London with her Birmingham-based family, remains in “critical condition” in the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound in a drive-by shooting by a motorbike borne assailant in east London.
The city’s Malayali community have named the innocent victim as Lissel Maria, daughter of Vinaya and Ajeesh of Gothuruthu in Kochi, who were having a meal at a Turkish restaurant in Hackney when she was shot on Wednesday night.
“We remain in close contact with our colleagues in the National Health Service (NHS), who have been working around the clock to provide urgent care to the victims, including the young girl, who I’m very sad to say, remains in a critical condition,” said Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) James Conway, local policing lead for Hackney and Tower Hamlets in London.
“The thoughts of everyone at the Met remain with the girl and her family at this unimaginably difficult time. Two other men, aged 44 and 42, remain in hospital in a stable condition, with one facing life-changing injuries. The third man – aged 37 – has been discharged from hospital,” he said.
DCS Conway went on to say that the police investigation into the shooting that sent shockwaves around the Kingsland High Street area of east London continues at pace, with a dedicated team of detectives piecing together the facts and an “unrelenting” focus on tracing those responsible.
“We are specifically reaching out to our Turkish and Kurdish communities, particularly in north and east London, who I know are shocked and appalled by this crime. This is because the three men who were shot have connections with these communities,” he noted.
As part of the appeal for information, he also revealed that the offender who fired from a motorbike at approximately 9.20 pm local time on Wednesday was riding a Ducati Monster, with a white body, red chassis and red wheels.
The Met Police has established that the motorbike was previously stolen in 2021 from a property in Wembley, north London, and at the time of the shooting, the bike was displaying the registration plate DP21OXY.
“This shocking attack has had an element of pre-planning. This means there are people who will know something which may be crucial to our investigation,” he added.
In a statement released via the police, Erim Metto, CEO of the Turkish Cypriot Association said that the community is shocked by the incident at a Turkish restaurant in Hackney.
“We urge anyone from the Turkish and Kurdish communities that may have any information to come forward and speak to police. If you do not feel comfortable to speak with police directly, you may do so through your community leaders, your faith leaders, Turkish Police Association or anonymously through Crimestoppers. We as a community stand against violence and gun crime,” he said.
“Gun crime has no place on the streets of London and this reckless act has left a young child fighting for her life. I am making a direct plea to those with information that might help us to bring those responsible to justice,” the Met Police had said in a statement in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.