Newspaper front page asks 'whose side are you on?' after Olivia Pratt-Korbel shot dead in Liverpool

The front page of a Liverpool newspaper is asking readers 'whose side' they're on as police continue to hunt for the killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Nine-year-old Olivia died on Monday night when a 35-year-old man, unknown to the family, ran into her home in Kingsheath Avenue, in the Dovecot area.

Detectives said her mother had only opened the door to see what was causing all the noise outside, when the man being pursued rushed in, in an attempt to get away from a shooter, who then opened fire.

Today, the Liverpool Echo has published a powerful front page, labelling it 'a dark day in our city's history'.

It told its readers to "imagine the agony of Olivia’s family as they are told she did not make it – murdered in her own home".

The newspaper stated: "Imagine knowing something about this unspeakable crime but keeping quiet because you would rather surrender our city to the thugs than to get justice for Olivia.

"If this is you, ask yourself … whose side are you on?"

Merseyside Police Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, said in a press conference on Tuesday: "This is a shocking and appalling attack which will reverberate around our communities, and I want to take this opportunity again to appeal to anybody who knows who was responsible for this attack to please come forward and give us those names.

"We need to find all who are responsible for – not just the gunman, we need to find who supplied the weapon and who arranged this terrible incident.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson described the shooting as an "unimaginable tragedy" and promised that Merseyside Police would get "whatever they need to catch those responsible".

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...