A 15-year-old girl suffered “devastating injuries” after she was shot by a “masked gang on E-bikes” while waiting for a bus home from school in Liverpool.
Detectives said it was an “absolute miracle” that the teenager was not killed in the “callous and cowardly attack”, which took place on a busy street in the Toxteth area.
The girl, who police said was just an innocent bystander, remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
A 21-year-old man was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after he turned up at a city hospital with gunshot wounds to his hand.
A 60-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen of Merseyside Police said: “It is an absolute miracle, and a credit to our NHS, that this young woman has survived. We are urging people to come forward with any information they can that can lead to the identification of the people responsible for this callous and cowardly attack.”
Describing the attack, Det Ch Supt Kameen said: “We were called at about 5.10pm [on Monday evening] to a person having been shot at a bus stop as a result of a number of individuals on up to four bikes.
“We believe those could have been electric bikes. We believe shots were fired from one or more people on those bikes. All the people on the bikes were wearing dark clothing, they were wearing face masks, or some kind of face covering like a balaclava.”
Forensic examinations have been carried out at the scene on Upper Warwick Street and officers have cordoned off the bus stop, with forensic tape seen around a single bullet hole.
Detectives are appealing for anyone with dashcam footage to come forward as the attack took place at rush hour in an area with roadworks and stationary traffic.
Iris Schiopu, a local resident, said she was now so scared of travelling in the dark that she had swapped her evening shift with someone else.
She added: “The area isn’t usually that bad, although it has a bad reputation.”
Emily Spurrell, the police and crime commissioner for Merseyside, said: “Deeply shocking and upsetting to learn a teenage girl has been injured during a shooting on the streets of Toxteth.
“My thoughts are with her and her family, and I wish her a very speedy and full recovery. If you have any info, please come forward and help bring those responsible to justice.”
The shooting has sparked comparisons to the murder of Rhys Jones in 2007, when the 11-year-old was shot dead walking home from playing football.
