It was beyond bedtime, and Olivia Pratt-Korbel, nine, should have been dozing off in the protection of her family’s house.
Rather, her mom opened the front door to check a disturbance outside, and within seconds, a gun-toting mobster shot Olivia and left her to die at the bottom of the stairs.
Her completely innocent family was still in disbelief yesterday after an amazing series of circumstances deprived them of a kind-hearted, joyous, and popular little girl who was set to join Year 5 at primary school.
Cheryl Korbel, 46, and her three kids were at their terraced house on Kingsheath Avenue in Liverpool until 10 p.m. on Monday.
But outside, around 100 yards down the road on the corner of Finch Lane, a terrible gangland brawl erupted. It had nothing to do with the Korbels, yet there was misery and carnage inside their well-kept home within seconds.
A gunman wearing a black mask, a black padded jacket, black pants, and black gloves attacked two men heading along Kingsheath Avenue from Finch Lane.
Police got surveillance footage showing the two guys running for their life as the slim-built thug started shooting his revolver at them.
When Olivia’s mother heard the barrage of gunfire, she hurried to the front door of their £100,000 home and unlocked it to investigate the disturbance.
Unfortunately, one of the desperate individuals being pursued allegedly took this as an opportunity to flee the barrage of gunshots.
The 35-year-old male, who cops have not identified, ran across the Korbels’ paved front driveway and pushed himself at the white front door.
To the terror of Miss Korbel, who authorities say did her “very, very best” to keep him out, the pursued man made his way inside their home, hoping for an escape from the gunman a few steps behind.
Miss Korbel sought to shut the door again as the hitman smashed through it. During this frenetic battle, the gunman managed to slip a hand through the still-open door, just as Olivia entered the corridor.
A shot was fired, which they think wounded Cheryl, hurting her, and then tragically killing Olivia, said Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen.
At the bottom of the steps, the schoolgirl was standing straight behind her mom.
Despite that awful scenario, the assailant has continued the attack and attempted to gain access to the property, firing two further rounds at the 35-year-old male who is now inside Cheryl and Olivia’s home address, the investigator stated. The perpetrator then exited via the front door and fled on foot.
The corridor was a bloodbath. Olivia was sprawled on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound in her chest. Her shell-shocked mom was bleeding from an injury of her own.
And the unidentified individual who had brought this torment upon himself by seeking safety in their home lay on the floor with two gunshot holes in his upper body.
What followed afterwards is almost as horrible as the attack itself. Friends of the 35-year-old rushed to assist him, but they neglected Olivia and her mom, who were dying. The injured man limped outside as a dark-colored Audi automobile skidded to a halt. His accomplices hurried him to the hospital, allegedly without a regard for the little girl who was bleeding to death.
Olivia’s two older siblings were there, as were two neighbors who had stopped by for a cup of tea, and police and paramedics were called. The individual being followed forced his way into Olivia’s house and the offender raced in after him firing a number of bullets with utter disdain for Olivia and her family who had no relationship with the shooter or the man who pushed his way in, said Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy yesterday.
When Olivia was dying, his pals picked him up and took him to the hospital. When the cops arrived, they saw how sick Olivia was and took her to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where she died despite all the efforts of medical experts.
The North West Ambulance Service transported her mom to Aintree Hospital, where she was treated for an arm wound. Police said they had confiscated the Audi and are waiting to question the 35-year-old male, who underwent surgery yesterday. They refused to divulge his identity.
According to sources, authorities are still attempting to figure out who the second individual was with when the shooting began.
Investigators are looking into the possibility of a confrontation between rival drug and guns gangs, or a retribution link to previous deaths, but no reason for the crime has been established.
According to one cop, they have not ruled out the possibility of a postcode turf battle, in which a gang member may have wandered into the ‘wrong’ section of town.
No reason will ever justify Olivia’s sad and useless waste of her young life to her grieving family and friends.
Miss Korbel’s two sisters and two brothers, who live in the neighborhood with their mom, were out rallying yesterday.
Her daughter’s life was summed up in a moving tribute by her principal last night.
The school community is grieved by the untimely death of Olivia, said Rebecca Wilkinson, of St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton. Such awful news has left us with sorrow and bewilderment.
Olivia was a well-liked student at the school. She had a fantastic smile, a wonderful sense of humour, and a bright personality.
She was generous and would go out of her way to assist people. She enjoyed performing and had just taken part in the school performance of The Wizard of Oz. Olivia will be deeply missed by both staff and children.
Helen Alohan, 49, described Kingsheath Avenue as a close-knit neighborhood where kids played on the street together.
