Girl fights for life after shooting

Mar 31 2011

A five-year-old girl who was shot in the chest during a gangland confrontation remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Thursha Kamaleswaran, who is believed to be London's youngest gun crime victim, was hit when a gunman opened fire on a shop on Tuesday night.

The shopkeeper, believed to be Roshan Selvakumar, 35, was hit in the head during the attack at the Stockwell Food and Wine Shop in south London.

The victims were innocent bystanders, caught up in the violence when two black youths cowered in the store after being chased by three other black youths on bicycles.

As the pair hid inside, one youth stopped at the door and opened fire indiscriminately.

The three attackers, who a witness said were aged between 14 and 17, fled as their intended targets chased them on foot from the Stockwell Road shop along Broomgrove Road and into the Stockwell Park Estate.

The victims, who police said were Sri Lankan and unrelated, were rushed to hospital in south London. Thursha was visiting relatives when the attackers struck.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Boughton urged witnesses to come forward.

He said: "This is a terrible incident where an innocent child has been seriously injured. We want to hear from the local community, who might have seen these youths cycling around the estate between 9pm and 10pm.

"I appeal to those who have information or were involved in this shooting to come forward and assist us with this investigation. These criminals have seriously injured two innocent bystanders and must face the consequences of their actions."