Man arrested after eight-year-old girl shot in Ladbroke Grove

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a double shooting into a car which left an eight-year-old girl and her father with serious injuries.

They were both taken to hospital following the shooting on Southern Row in Ladbroke Grove at about 17:30 GMT on Sunday, and remain in a serious but stable condition, the Metropolitan Police said.

Both victims sustained “serious gunshot injuries”, the force added. The girl is currently in surgery while her father, 34, has potentially life-changing injuries.

Her two-year-old sibling and their mother, 32, were also in the car but were “thankfully unharmed”, Supt Owen Renowden said.

He said: “I want to take this opportunity now to thank the members of public who came to the aid of those who were injured last night.”

He added that the investigation is “progressing at pace”, and he wanted to hear from anyone with information about what happened “no matter how insignificant”.

An eyewitness who was visiting her mother in the area said she saw a man shooting “multiple times” during the incident.

“I was literally coming out of the exit to my mum’s block of flats and as I was going out I saw a guy shooting into the car multiple times,” the woman said.

“He was firing directly, like at close range, as if you’re standing to open a door, they were shooting directly into it,” she continued.

“I was completely in shock and I just ran back up the stairs because I was really scared.

“Then I looked and I heard screaming afterwards, and then people coming out to call the police.”

She added: “I’ve noticed in the last several years, it has become a lot more unsafe for the people here.”

A man who lives on the road told BBC London it was a “nightmare” situation to hear a young child was injured.

“It’s really sad. I hope that she’s in a better condition and that she gets well soon,” he said.

“It should not happen – this is a very lively area, there’s never any kind of trouble.

“But you never know, it can be problematic sometimes as well.”

One woman who was visiting a friend nearby described it as a “terrible” incident and said she was in shock.

“I used to live around this area and it always seemed relatively normal and a nice area so it’s really disturbing,” she added.

Another woman whose son attends a nearby school said: “I don’t see why this happens in this particular area.

“It’s kind of peaceful and everybody’s friendly.

“Obviously if something affects little children I think it just shouldn’t happen. I really wonder why, and then, how can we prevent it?”

The London Ambulance Service said it arrived within six minutes and treated two patients at the scene before taking them to a major trauma centre as a priority.

Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, said he was “appalled by the shooting”.

He said: “These senseless acts of violence have no place on our streets.”

“I know residents in the local community will be rightly concerned for their safety after several recent incidents in the neighbourhood,” Powell added.

“We must work together to better prevent these horrific crimes from happening, and hold those responsible to account.”