Suspect in the slaying of a Liverpool girl arrested

According to Merseyside Police, a man, 36, has been arrested on suspicion of killing Olivia Pratt-Korbel, a nine-year-old girl.

As she stood behind her mother, who was attempting to stop the gunman from entering the family home, Olivia was fatally shot in Liverpool on Monday night.

Cheryl Korbel, 46, opened her front door on Kingsheath Avenue at 22:00 BST in response to a disturbance outside.

Two men, unbeknownst to the family, barged into the home.

As she attempted to shut the door on the gunman, her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, was wounded in the wrist and Olivia was killed as a result.

The suspect, according to the police, was also arrested for two attempted murders.

He is in jail and being questioned by authorities. He is from the Huyton community of Liverpool.

He was taken into custody Friday night in Merseyside following an operation involving armed officers.

The family of Olivia said in a statement provided by Merseyside Police: “We as a family are heartbroken and have lost a significant part of our life.”

“If anyone knows anything, now is the time to speak up. It is not about being a ‘snitch’ or a ‘grass’, it is about finding out who took our baby away from us.”

“Please do the right thing.”

Police said a number of identities had been given to the officers looking for the gunman who shot Olivia.

Joseph Nee, a 35-year-old convicted burglar from Liverpool’s Dovecot community, has been identified as the shooting’s intended target was being chased by a gunman.

Nee was shot in the upper body and driven to the hospital by a third man in a black Audi.

Nee will be sent back to prison after his recovery is completed because he reportedly violated the conditions of his licence.

The drug dealer was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison in 2018 for breaking and entering.

He had also previously been found guilty of two counts of car theft, reckless driving, driving without insurance, and operating a vehicle while ineligible.