On a Monday night in Liverpool, a nine-year-old girl named Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed inside her own home — a place that should have been sanctuary — when a gunman pursuing an unrelated man forced his way through her front door. Her mother had simply opened it to understand what was happening outside. In the collision between a stranger's conflict and an innocent family's threshold, a child's life was extinguished, and a community was left to reckon with how violence can reach anyone, anywhere, without warning or reason.
Nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel shot dead as gunman chases man into her Liverpool home
Nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot in the chest; her mother suffered a gunshot wound to her wrist; a 35-year-old man sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
a gunman forced his way through her front door while chasing a man
Mark
Why did the gunman follow this man into the house? Was he trying to finish what he started on the street?
Mimi
That's what it appears to be. The man being chased saw the door open and ran inside. The gunman followed him in immediately and kept firing. Olivia and her mother just happened to be there.
Luke
But we don't actually know the gunman's intent in that moment—whether he was trying to kill the man, whether he was panicked, whether he even knew a child was inside. The police statement says he fired with "complete disregard," but that's an interpretation of his state of mind, not a fact.
Mark
So Olivia's mother opened the door because she heard the shots?
Mimi
Yes. She heard the commotion outside and opened the door to see what was happening. That's when the man forced his way in, and the gunman came right after him.
Luke
The timeline there matters. We know she opened the door, we know the man forced entry, we know the gunman followed. What we don't know is whether she could have done anything differently—whether closing the door faster would have changed anything.
Mark
And the 35-year-old man—do we know who he is or why he was being chased?
Mimi
Police haven't released his identity. They're asking him to come forward. He was shot multiple times and taken to hospital by friends before police even arrived.
Luke
That's a significant detail. His friends got him out before police reached the scene. That suggests either they didn't call police, or they acted very quickly. Either way, it means Olivia was still in the house when he left.
Mark
What happens now?
Mimi
Police are appealing for the gunman to surrender and for the second man shot at on the street to contact them. There's a manhunt underway.
Luke
The investigation is active, but we're still at the stage of identifying the suspect. No arrests have been made. The community is grieving, but the person responsible is still out there.
El Pulso
- A masked gunman opened fire on two men in the street, then pursued one of them directly into a family home on Kingsheath Avenue, treating a child's front door as an extension of the chase.
- Olivia's mother opened the door out of ordinary curiosity — and within seconds, a fleeing man had forced his way past her, followed by the gunman who fired the shot that killed her daughter.
- Olivia, nine years old and entirely uninvolved, was struck in the chest; her mother was shot in the wrist; the 35-year-old target sustained multiple wounds — three people harmed in a conflict that belonged to none of them.
- The gunman fled, leaving police to launch a manhunt and issue a direct appeal for him to surrender, while also urging a second man shot at on the street to come forward.
- Olivia's school remembered her as bright, kind, and recently on stage in The Wizard of Oz — a life full of ordinary joy, ended in extraordinary and senseless violence.
On a Monday night in Liverpool, a nine-year-old girl named Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed inside her own home — a place that should have been sanctuary — when a gunman pursuing an unrelated man forced his way through her front door. Her mother had simply opened it to understand what was happening outside. In the collision between a stranger's conflict and an innocent family's threshold, a child's life was extinguished, and a community was left to reckon with how violence can reach anyone, anywhere, without warning or reason.
On a Monday evening just after 10pm, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead inside her home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, Liverpool. She had no connection to the events that brought a gunman to her door.
It began on the street outside. A lone figure — masked, dressed in black, carrying a handgun — approached two men and opened fire. Both ran. One of them, a 35-year-old man, saw Olivia's front door opening as her mother stepped out to investigate the noise. He forced his way inside. The gunman followed immediately, pushing through as her mother tried to close the door. A shot was fired. Olivia was struck in the chest. Her mother was wounded in the wrist. The man being chased suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital by friends who had arrived at the scene. Olivia was rushed to Alder Hey Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the gunman had acted with complete disregard for the innocent family inside. Olivia and her mother were simply present in their own home when a stranger's conflict crossed their threshold.
Olivia's school, St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School in Huyton, described her as a girl with a beautiful smile, a bubbly personality, and a kind heart who had recently performed in a production of The Wizard of Oz. The school community was devastated. Knowsley Council leader Graham Morgan said it was hard to comprehend a life so full of promise being cut short in such circumstances.
Police launched a manhunt for the gunman and appealed directly for him to hand himself in, while also calling on the second man shot at on the street to come forward and assist the investigation.
On a Monday evening in Liverpool, a nine-year-old girl named Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her own home. The shooting happened just after 10pm on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, when a gunman forced his way through her front door while chasing a man who had no connection to her family. Olivia was struck in the chest. Her mother, who had opened the door to see what the commotion was about outside, was shot in the wrist. The girl was rushed to Alder Hey Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The sequence of events that led to Olivia's death began moments earlier on the street. Two men were walking along Kingsheath Avenue when a lone figure approached them—someone wearing a black padded jacket, black balaclava with a peak, dark trousers, and black gloves, carrying a handgun. This person fired at both men. They ran. One of them, a 35-year-old man, spotted Olivia's front door opening as her mother stepped out to investigate the gunshots. He forced his way inside despite her attempts to stop him. The gunman followed immediately behind, pushing through the doorway as Olivia's mother tried to close it. A shot was fired. Olivia was hit fatally. Her mother was wounded. The 35-year-old man sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his body. His friends, who had arrived at the scene, took him to hospital themselves while Olivia lay dying inside the house. Police did not reach the property until after that, and only then was the girl transported to hospital.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy described the gunman's actions as carried out with "complete disregard" for Olivia and her family, who were entirely uninvolved in whatever conflict had prompted the shooting on the street. The 35-year-old man being chased was the target. Olivia and her mother were simply in the way—present in their own home at the moment a stranger forced entry while being pursued by someone with a gun.
Olivia's school, St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School in Huyton, released a statement through headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson. She described the girl as having a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour, and a bubbly personality. Olivia was kind-hearted and would go out of her way to help others. She had recently performed in the school production of The Wizard of Oz. The school community was described as devastated and in shock.
Graham Morgan, leader of Knowsley Council, said he was shocked and saddened by what had happened. He noted that Olivia had her whole life ahead of her and that it was hard to comprehend her life being cut short in such terrible circumstances. He confirmed she was a popular pupil who enjoyed school, had lots of friends, and would help others. He pledged that staff and pupils at the school would be given whatever support they needed.
Police launched a manhunt for the gunman and made a direct appeal for him to hand himself in. Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen also called on the second man who had been shot at on the street to come forward to police. The investigation was ongoing, with authorities seeking to identify and locate the person responsible for firing the shots that killed Olivia and wounded her mother and the 35-year-old man.
Citas Notables
The offender ran in after him firing a number of shots with complete disregard for Olivia and her family, who had no connection with the gunman or the man who forced his way in.— Chief Constable Serena Kennedy
Olivia was a much-loved member of our school. She had a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour, and a bubbly personality. She was kind-hearted and would go out of her way to help others.— Rebecca Wilkinson, headteacher of St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Irish Mirror ↗
Crime & Justice