DRAMATIC footage has shown the devastating aftermath of a shooting at a restaurant that left a schoolgirl fighting for her life.
The nine-year-old was having dinner with her family when a gunman opened fire outside a Turkish restaurant in Hackney, north-east London, just before 9.20pm yesterday.
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Three men, aged 26, 37 and 42, who were sitting outside the restaurant, were also injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
New video has revealed several people gathered in the outdoor seating area at the front of the restaurant moments after the shooting.
Did you see the horror unfold last night? Call 0207 860 1129 or email [email protected]
Several men appear to tend to one of the male victims while others move chairs and tables.
Emotional cries can be heard during the clip and some witnesses ask where the ambulances are.
Customers reply saying the emergency services have already been called.
People also seem to leave the indoor part of the restaurant.
The Met Police this afternoon revealed the young girl was fighting for her life in hospital.
Chief Superintendent James Conway said the schoolgirl had been enjoying dinner inside Evin restaurant with her family when the horror struck.
The top cop said: “She was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.”
They [gangs] are terrifying. I am very scared of them.
Witness
He pleaded for witnesses to come forward as officers worked to find the gunman, who he said had been riding a stolen motorbike.
People in the area told The Sun how they are terrified of the alleged gang warfare and scared of more attacks.
A lady on Stoke Newington Road, around 50 metres from the cordon, trembled as she said: “They [gangs] are terrifying. I am very scared of them.”
A barber, who works near the scene and wished to remain anonymous, said in recent months he has feared getting caught up in violence.
He cited an incident in Tottenham earlier this year where he claims he was intimidated by a group.
The man described a “constant tension” which could get worse following Wednesday night’s shooting.
He told The Sun: “This is a historical issue. It runs very deep. It is a constant tension and I am worried this time. This shooting is bad.”
The owner of a nearby launderette says he suspects Wednesday night’s shooting is also rooted in alleged gang warfare carried out by men in their 20s.
He told The Sun: “A motorbike came along the High Street and stopped outside Evin restaurant.
“He started shooting at the restaurant and then drove off.
“All of the local shops have had problems with them. They break in and demand money.”
Cops were still scouring the scene this afternoon, inching slowly on their hands and knees outside the restaurant.
The Sun today exclusively obtained CCTV footage of the moment gunshots rang through the streets, before a bike sped off.
A man on foot appears to start running after hearing the commotion behind him.
Witnesses have also told of screams echoing down the streets and hero bystanders jumping into action as people were gunned down last night.
Footage showed armed police and paramedics swooping on the scene in Kingsland High Street.
The four victims were rushed to a nearby hospital.
One anonymous diner at the Evin restaurant said he used his coat to stop a man’s leg bleeding.
He told the Hackney Gazette: “There was a big group having dinner in the rear.
“I couldn’t get my usual table so got one close to the front window.
Statement from Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway:
It saddens me deeply to say that at 9.20 last night, on Kingsland High Street in Hackney, three men and a nine-year-old girl were shot when a firearm was discharged from a motorbike.
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.
Three men, aged 26, 37 and 42, who were sitting outside a restaurant, were taken to hospital for treatment for gunshot wounds.
Their conditions are 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.
We do not believe that the girl and the men injured were known to each other.
As with any child, she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.
Police arrived at the scene within minutes of the crime being reported.
Two crime scenes remain in place – at Kingsland High Street and at Colverstone Crescent, where we recovered a motorbike that we believe was used in the shooting and which we now know to have been stolen.
The investigation is now being led by our Specialist Crime colleagues, and we are supporting them with specialist local officers, as they conduct fast-time enquiries to identify and apprehend those responsible and to establish the motive behind the shooting.
The investigation is at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind as to the motive.
We are keen to identify other witnesses who were in the area around the scene at the time of the shooting.
Similarly, if you were in the Kingsland High Street area at the time of the shooting and have information or footage from a phone or other device, please share that with us.
This is a fast-moving, complex investigation, and we will be working closely with our Specialist Crime colleagues to establish the full facts in the coming days.
Locally, people can expect to see a significant police presence in this area, including armed officers, to provide reassurance and support.
We will also continue our unrelenting focus on suppressing violence, gun crime, and the offenders who endanger our communities.
Events such as these are rarely spontaneous. Someone knows who is responsible for this shooting that has left a little girl fighting for her life.
If you have any information that could assist our investigation please do the right thing and tell us what you know by calling 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.
To speak to the investigation team direct call the incident room on 020 8345 3865.
“The big group paid up and left and shortly afterwards that’s when the loud bangs – which were obviously gunshots – happened.”
While the owner of nearby Dalston Jazz Bar said terrified bystanders fled the scene “screaming” as gunshots rang out.
He told The Sun: “They shut everywhere down. It was a guy on a motorbike doing the shooting.
“Police saw a helmet and started crowding around it because they thought it might be his.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: “We know Londoners will be shocked by what has taken place tonight.
“Our thoughts go to all those affected. Fast moving enquiries are under way and we will update as soon as we can.
She was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.
James Conway
“If anyone has any information, please contact us.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 9.21pm on Wednesday 29 May to reports of a shooting on Kingsland High Street, Hackney.
“We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, incident response officers and members of our tactical response unit.
“We also dispatched a trauma team from London Air Ambulance, which consisted of a doctor and a paramedic in a car.
“We treated three adults and one child at the scene before taking them all to a major trauma centre.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Anyone with information that can help police should call 101 or post @MetCC reference CAD 8082/29May.
To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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