Kerala girl critical after shooting in London restaurant

London: A nine-year-old Indian-origin girl, yet to be formally identified but believed to be from Kerala, is in critical condition in hospital “fighting for her life” after suffering a gunshot wound in a drive-by shooting from a motorbike in east London.

The Metropolitan Police said the girl was inside a restaurant in the Kingsland High Street area of Hackney having dinner with her family when the shooting occurred on Wednesday night.

Three as yet unnamed men, aged 26, 37 and 42, who were sitting outside the restaurant were taken to hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds and their conditions are said to be "stable, but one potentially faces life-changing injuries”.

“A nine-year-old girl, who was inside the restaurant having dinner with her family, suffered a gunshot wound and she remains in hospital in a critical condition. Our thoughts are with her and her family and they are being supported by specialist officers,” Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS) James Conway said in a statement. Meanwhile, reports emanating from within London’s Malayali community have named the girl as Lissel Maria, daughter of Vinaya and Ajeesh of Gothuruthu in Kochi.

They were out having a meal in a busy east London neighbourhood when the sudden shooting, believed to be gang-related, sent shockwaves within the community. “I know that local people will be extremely concerned by this incident. We share that concern and an urgent investigation has been launched to identify and apprehend those responsible,” DCS Conway noted in his statement.