A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl who was shot dead in Liverpool when a gunman chased another man into her home and fired “with complete disregard” for anyone else in the property has been identified.

Merseyside Police named the child as Olivia Pratt-Korbel and said her family were “absolutely devastated, inconsolable and heartbroken” following the incident in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, on Monday night.

Speaking at a press conference at the force’s headquarters in Liverpool on Tuesday, chief constable Serena Kennedy appealed for anyone with information to come forward, adding “now is not the time to remain tight-lipped”.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, said the gunman, who was wearing a black balaclava and black gloves, forced his way into the building as Olivia’s mother Cheryl tried to close the door.

The girl was found with a gunshot injury to the chest when officers attended the scene at around 10pm on Monday, and was taken in a critical condition to hospital, where she died.

Her mother was also injured in the shooting and was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound to her arm.

The killing came 15 years to the day after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead in Croxteth.