A minute’s applause in memory of Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been held at the Merseyside derby match between Liverpool and Everton.
The nine-year-old was shot dead on the night of 22 August after a stranger, 35-year-old Joseph Nee, ran into her home in Liverpool while being pursed by a gunman.
In the ninth minute of Saturday’s game, which was held at Goodison Park, the crowds in both stands stood and applauded.
An image of Olivia was also displayed on the big screen and an anti-knife and gun crime banner was unfurled.
The banner, which was half blue and half red to signify the colours of the two teams, read: “Enough is enough: Our city in unity.”
Olivia’s killing was the third shooting death in Liverpool in the space of a week. Ashley Dale, a 28-year-old council worker, was shot outside her home on 21 August, while 22-year-old Sam Rimmer was shot in the Dingle area on 16 August.
Neither of the men who ran into Olivia’s home had any links to her or her family.
Olivia’s mother, Cheryl, sustained a gunshot wound to the wrist during the incident, while Nee was shot in the leg and torso.
Last week, two men – a 36-year-old from Huyton and a 33-year-old from Dovecot – were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Both were subsequently bailed, although the 36-year-old was later recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence.
On Thursday, police investigating Olivia’s death released footage that they said showed the man who killed Olivia fleeing the scene.
They also released footage of another man who was in the area at the time. The man is seen wearing a hooded jacket and lingering briefly on Finch Lane, near the junction with Kingsheath Avenue.
Police appealed to anyone with any information that could help identify the men to come forward.
They have also released a picture of a black Audi Q3 that is believed to have taken Nee to Aintree hospital after the shooting. The car is thought to have contained a driver and another passenger.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who saw the car in the days leading up to the shooting or has any information about its movements after it left Kingsheath Avenue that night.
Olivia’s family have urged anyone with any information to “do the right thing” and come forward.
“If anyone knows anything, now is the time to speak up. It is not about being a ‘snitch’ or a ‘grass’, it is about finding out who took our baby away from us,” they said.
A funeral mass for Olivia will be held at St Margaret Mary’s in Dovecot on 15 September, followed by a private burial.
