LONDON
: Parents of nine-year-old
Keralite girl
Lissel Maria, who was shot in the head during a drive-by
shooting
in Hackney on May 29, fear that she may never be able to move properly or speak again. She remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Lissel was shot in a suspected Turkish rival gang shooting outside a Turkish cafe, Evin. Her parents, Vinaya and Ajeesh, hailing from Gothuruth in Ernakulam and IT professionals working in the UK, said they had gone to the cafe as Lissel wanted an ice cream.
“We are devastated about what has happened, our daughter remains stable but in a critical condition,” they said in a statement issued via Metropolitan Police.
“She only went there for an ice cream and now we do not know if we will ever get our daughter back to being the smart, funny girl that she was before and whether she will be able to ever speak or move properly again. We need our child back and we are all praying for her full recovery.”
Three men – aged 37, 42 and 44 – who were sitting outside the restaurant were also shot by the motorbike rider. They have since been discharged from hospital. One of the men, the intended target, is suspected to be a member of the Hackney Bombers gang. A rival gang, the Tottenham Turks, is suspected to be behind the attack. Both gangs control the drugs trade in London.
There have been no arrests yet. This week, detectives made a renewed appeal for information and released images of the suspect who was riding a motorbike stolen from Wembley in 2021.
Detective chief superintendent James Conway, lead for policing in Hackney, said: “At this time, a critical line of enquiry has been the potential link to Turkish-originating organised criminal networks.” He urged the public to “search their hearts” to understand if their loyalty to friends or associates extends to “covering up for an innocent child being shot”.
The boss of Tottenham Turks, Izzet Eren, was shot dead outside a café in Moldova’s capital last week, according to the Daily Telegraph, in what is thought to be a revenge attack for this shooting.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “The Metropolitan Police are aware of reports of the death of a 41-year-old man in Chisinau. At this time, the name of the man who died has not been officially confirmed by the Moldovan authorities.”
English (US) ·