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Mourning for a girl who was shot (photo from August 24)
Photo: Peter Byrne / dpa
After the violent death of a nine-year-old girl in England, an organization has offered a hefty £200,000 (€229,000) reward to help find the perpetrator.
The money will be paid to witnesses who provide information "leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Korbel," Crimestoppers said.
"This case is incredibly shocking, not only for those directly affected, but for the city of Liverpool and the country as a whole," said Michael Ashcroft, founder of the crime victims' organization.
Ashcroft initially announced a £50,000 reward.
When a private individual increased the sum to £100,000, he doubled the amount again, Crimestoppers said.
The head of the organization, Mark Hallas, promised complete anonymity.
"All we ask is that you tell us what you know about who killed Olivia so that her mother, her family, the city of Liverpool and everyone affected by this truly horrific murder can start coming to terms with this."
The child was shot dead on August 22 when a man fled from a gunman into the girl's house.
The pursuer fired through the half-open door, wounding the nine-year-old's mother on the wrist and fatally hitting Olivia in the chest.
The pursued was seriously injured.
He is out of danger, but continues to be treated in a hospital.
The convicted burglar is then to be jailed for violating his terms of imprisonment.
The shooter is believed to be a member of a criminal gang in Liverpool.
The search is extremely difficult, also because many people are afraid of personal problems if they cooperate with the police.
So far, nine people have been arrested in connection with the crime.
However, they were all released subject to conditions.
bbr/dpa
