A man believed to be the intended target of a shooting in Hackney that left a nine-year-old girl fighting for her life has said he wishes he had been shot instead of her.
The man - who is understood to be linked to the Turkish criminal underworld - was reportedly outside Evin Turkish restaurant in Dalston, east London, just a quarter-of-an-hour before a gunman opened fire there on Wednesday night.
The 37-year-old returned to find three of his friends suffering bullet wounds, while a nine-year-old girl who had been dining with her family had been shot in the head, The Times reported.
Eyewitnesses saw a gunman on a motorcycle, which police believe was stolen, fire bullets at diners before speeding away down Kingsland High Street in Dalston.
The girl injured in the attack remained in a critical condition in hospital at the weekend, while the supposed intended target of the shooting is reportedly “heartbroken”.
“That little girl is an innocent person,” the man told a friend, according to The Times. “She was just sitting behind us with her family.
“She didn’t do anything wrong. It is killing me inside. The waiting to know if she is going to live is too much. I am heartbroken.
“I wish it had been me. Maybe I deserve it. I have not been sleeping for four days. I have been praying for her and visiting the mosque. I wish I was still sitting there [outside the restaurant] and the bullet had gone in my head. “
The man - a 37-year-old from Finsbury Park - narrowly survived another gangland hitnear Clissold Park in Stoke Newington in August 2020.
He was shot in the neck by a gunman riding a motorbike in the incident, says The Times. It is understood nobody has been convicted over that shooting.
The Times reports that five years before that, the man had himself been cleared of murder after a leading member of a rival Turkish gang operating in the Tottenham area was killed. Two other people were convicted of murder.
Wednesday’s shooting in Dalston has sparked fears of reprisals, and that it could lead to an outright a gang war between rival Turkish gangs operating in the Tottenham and Hackney areas, the Times reports.
The nine-year-old victim and her family are from Birmingham, and had been on a half-term trip to London when they made the fateful decision to stop at Evin restaurant for dinner on Wednesday.
The girl’s grandmother said over the weekend she was on a ventilator, and that doctors had so far been unable to remove the bullet that had struck her.
But a family friend told MailOnline on Sunday doctors had begun to reduce her sedation, and she had shown signs of responsiveness including squeezing her father’s hand.
Two of the men shot in the attack - aged 42 and 44 - were most recently described by police as being in a “stable” condition in hospital, though one faces life-changing injuries.
The Times reports the third man shot - a 37-year-old who has now been discharged from hospital - was jailed in 2019 after taking part in an acid attack outside a nightclub in Dalston.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said the Met’s investigation into the “horrific” incident “ continues at pace”.
Police have released details of the stolen motorbike used in Wednesday’s shooting, as they appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
“We know that the offender fired from a motorbike at approximately 9.20pm on Wednesday evening,” said Det Ch Supt Conway.
“This bike was a Ducati Monster, with a white body, red chassis and red wheels. Officers have now established that the motorbike was previously stolen in 2021 from a property in Wembley. At the time of the shooting the bike was displaying the registration plates DP21OXY.
“I am particularly keen to hear from you if you saw it on the day of the incident. Or perhaps you recognise it from being parked up in a driveway or a specific location? Or do you know someone who has been using this bike at any point over the past three years? It may not have always displayed those registration plates.
“Any information - no matter how big or small - could prove vital.
“This shocking attack will have had an element of pre-planning. This means there are people who will know something which may be crucial to our investigation.”
“We are specifically reaching out to our Turkish and Kurdish communities, particularly in north and east London, who I know are shocked and appalled by this crime. This is because the three men who were shot have connections with these communities.”
