Liverpool shooting: Olivia Pratt-Korbel was ray of sunshine, head teacher says

A nine-year-old girl who was fatally shot after a gunman burst into her home was "joyful" and "would always try to help others", a head teacher has said.

Olivia Pratt-Korbel died after being shot by a gunman, who had forced his way into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, while chasing another man with no connections to her on Monday.

Head teacher Rebecca Wilkinson said St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School in Huyton was in "shock and disbelief".

She said Olivia was "kind-hearted".

Ms Wilkinson said Olivia had been "a little ray of sunshine" and was a "lively little soul [who was] very, very popular with all her peers".

She said the staff are "devastated" and "can't imagine how the children are going to feel when they come back to school and she's no longer here".

In a statement released earlier, she said Olivia was "kind-hearted and would go out of her way to help others".

"She loved to perform and recently participated in the school production of The Wizard of Oz," she said.

"Olivia will be missed greatly by staff and children at our school."

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Liverpool said it was "shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news".

"Olivia was a member of our school community and... our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, classmates, teachers and local community," a representative said.

Knowsley Council leader Graham Morgan said Olivia was a "popular pupil", adding: "I know she will be a huge loss to the school community and everyone who knew her".

Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference that Olivia's family were "absolutely devastated, inconsolable and heartbroken".

She has urged the man responsible for Olivia's death to hand himself in to police.

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