'Heartbreaking' Neighbours' shock at airgun attack on nine-year-old

NEIGHBOURS of a nine-year-old girl who was shot in a racially aggravated attack in north Bristol have said they were shocked, horrified and ‘heartbroken’ after hearing of the news.

- Tristan CORK

The attack happened more than a fortnight ago in Brentry, but police only issued a public appeal to find the culprits on Wednesday afternoon this week.

The incident saw a nine-year-old shot three times with an airgun in Chakeshill Drive at lunchtime on Tuesday, September 2. Police said the pellets did not cause serious injury, but the girl was left so traumatised that she is now scared to leave the house.

Police said they were looking for two older teenagers, aged 17 or 18, one of whom had an e-scooter. The attack was being treated as a racially aggravated one because after shooting her with the pellets, one of the teenagers made a racial comment.

Police were out doing door-to-door enquiries on Thursday afternoon in Chakeshill Drive, a long crescent road of more than 150 homes off the main Charlton Road. The road, built by the local authority as council housing in the 1950s, is right on the northern edge of Bristol, with some of the homes backing on to the Henbury Loop railway line that marks the border between Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

There was shock on the street there on Thursday, with many people saying the first they heard about it was reading the news on Wednesday. PCSOs spent the afternoon talking to local residents and delivering leaflets appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.