'This picture will haunt you': DEVASTATED family of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, warns gunman who killed her
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: The bereaved family of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, who was violently killed in her Liverpool home on Monday, August 22 night, slammed a cowardly gunman who inhumanely shot her dead in a wicked "tit for tat" gang war in a Facebook post and warned the killer, "This picture will haunt you forever." The beloved nine-year-old is thought to have been the tragic victim of a vicious retaliation among warring gangsters that had been going on for weeks. She was shot dead when a masked gunman barged into her house while chasing a suspected rival who saw a "chink of light" inside.
The gunman who shot Olivia was after Joseph Nee, 35, of Liverpool's Dovecot, who was out on parole from a prison sentence. When the gunman opened fire, Olivia was standing behind her mother Cheryl. Cheryl was shot in the wrist, and the bullet passed through her and into Olivia's chest. The gunman opened fire on the fleeing alleged gang member once more. On Tuesday, Nee was arrested in hospital for violating his license conditions, and Merseyside police said he would be returned to prison. According to sources, the shooting could have been motivated by a turf war, a dispute over drugs, or another commodity.
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Olivia's heartbroken uncle Peter Korbel shared a photo of Olivia in a heartbreaking tribute. He wrote, ''Our family will remember this picture of my beautiful niece with happiness and pride... this tiny cheeky little girl with the Korbel attitude thrown in and then some xx but to the scum that's done this, this picture is going to haunt you for the rest of your days''. Rebecca Louise, the child's cousin, described the nine-year-old as "full of sass," vowing that the family would do whatever they could to help achieve justice.
''I don't think I or the family will ever find the words to describe the heartache we have all felt in the past 24 hours," her cousin wrote, adding, ''We haven't just lost 'Our Liv', we've lost a daughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, and a granddaughter. Our little Liv was full of life, full of sass, and most definitely knew what she wanted in life."
''You had so much potential and full life to lead beautifully. I can only apologize for the cruel world we live in and the monsters in it. My heart aches so much and I don't think we will ever digest what's happened," Louise said remembering Olivia.
''We WILL find who did this and we WILL get justice for you baby girl. Lewis & I love you SO much it hurts. Forever 9 years young,'' she wrote. Saying that she knows the family has "not only the hearts of the city but the hearts of a nation behind us all," she added, ''Let's put this into action and get these weapons off our streets. No other family should EVER have to endure the pain we as a family and especially my aunty Cheryl have experienced. No other child should have to lose their lives to these senseless crimes. Forever and always in our hearts baby'."
Nee, who was also shot, was driven to the hospital in a black Audi by his friends. Nee was a member of a gang that was sentenced to ten years in prison for a series of burglaries in North-West England. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison in 2018 after leading police on a high-speed chase with two other men. He admitted to two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.
''The reality is it is a relatively small number of persistent and determined criminals responsible for making the rest of us suffer and, of course, horrendously on this occasion'', Kieran Mullan, Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich, told DailyMail. ''If early work to get them to turn away from a life of crime doesn't work, the longer they spend in jail the better for the rest of us.''
Nee has a prior drug conviction and was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for his involvement in a heroin and crack cocaine distribution ring. Not everyone in the area condemned Nee. One local said, “He’s done nothing wrong. He was running and he’s seen a door open and he’s just gone for it. Anyone would do that if someone is pointing a gun at them. It’s unfair that people are blaming him for this," The Guardian reported.
Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen stated that the force was "absolutely dedicated" to ensuring that adequate resources were available to investigate Olivia's death. He stated that each case was "receiving first-class treatment and will continue to do so," and that earlier police raids in Liverpool were in response to the deaths and organized crime. The gunman was described as about 5ft 7in (170cm), of slim build, carrying a handgun and wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava, and black gloves.