3-year-old girl shot in the stomach while playing in park

Updated



A 3-year-old girl was shot in the stomach as she played in a local park in West London last Thursday evening. Police are now searching for the unknown attacker.

The little girl survived the attack and spent two days in the hospital being treated for the wound. When the girl was hit, she was running from her mother to her grandfather to play a game. They had enjoyed the day together at Hanworth Park, Feltham, West London. Witnesses said that they heard an air rifle shot followed by the girl's awful screams.

After no leads were found following searches, detectives are now appealing for information. Detective Constable Helen Larson said:

"This was a horrific incident and we are appealing for anyone with information to contact police. This shooting could have been far worse, possibly fatal, and we need to find the person or persons responsible. The little girl had to spend two days in hospital following surgery to remove the pellet. She has now been released from hospital and is making a good recovery and her parents have told us she is well in herself. She will need a number of follow up appointments at the hospital in the coming weeks. We have trawled CCTV and conducted searches of the area but thus far have not found any leads which may help us identify who was responsible."

According to Larson, a group of boys were witnessed running from bushes near the scene around the same time as the incident.

This isn't the first time a child has been shot while playing at the park. Watch this video to learn about a 5-year-old boy who was shot in a park in May:

7-Year-Old Boy Shot While Playing At The Park
7-Year-Old Boy Shot While Playing At The Park



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