Appeal to Turkish and Kurdish communities after 9-year-old girl shot in Hackney car

Detectives have appealed for information from the Turkish and Kurdish communities as a nine-year-old girl continues to fight for her life following a “reckless” shooting while eating dinner at a restaurant with her family on Wednesday 29 May.

On Friday, the Metropolitan Police released an image of the motorcycle used in the attack in Hackney, east London, which left the child in a critical condition.

The force said two men, aged 44 and 42, who were standing outside the restaurant during the incident, were also injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

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Someone may have suffered life-changing injuries, Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said. A third man, aged 37, has since been released from hospital.

Addressing the girl’s condition, Mr Conway said: “We remain in close contact with our NHS colleagues who worked around the clock to provide emergency care to the victims, including the little girl, who I am very sad to say remains in hospital. a critical condition”.

He said specialist family liaison officers were continuing to support the girl’s family.

Giving details of the motorcycle used in the attack, Mr Conway said: “We know the offender fired from a motorcycle at approximately 9.20pm on Wednesday night. The bike was a Ducati Monster with a white body, red chassis and red wheels.

“Our officers have now established that the motorcycle was previously stolen in 2021 from a property in Wembley. At the time of the shooting, the bike had the number plate DP21 OXY.

“I want to hear from anyone who might recognize this. I am particularly keen to hear from you if you saw him on the day of the incident.’

Mr Conway described the shooting as “reckless” and appealed to the Turkish and Kurdish communities in north and east London because the three men injured in the incident “have links to those communities”.

He said: “This shocking attack will have had an element of pre-planning. This means there are people out there who know something that may be crucial to our investigation.

“Gun crime does not happen on the streets of London and this reckless act has left a young child fighting for her life. We especially go out to our Turkish and Kurdish communities, particularly in North and East London, who I know are shocked and horrified by this crime.

“That’s because the three men who were shot have ties to those communities.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.