'Innocent' child 'fighting for her life' after horrific London 'drive-by shooting' was hit while out for family dinner

Specialist firearms officers and paramedics rushed to the scene to discover "three adults and a child with gunshot injuries" - all of whom were taken to hospital in East London.

Speaking to the media this afternoon, the Metropolitan Police's Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway detailed how three men, aged 26, 37, and 42, had been shot while sitting outside the restaurant.

One of the men facing potentially "life-changing" injuries, while the other two victims remain in a stable condition.

Conway added that the girl, aged just nine, had been eating dinner with her family inside the venue, adding that she was an "innocent victim" of the attack.

He added that the force does not believe that the girl and the men injured were known to each other, saying: "she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime."

Conway said there would be a significant increase in police officers in the local area, with armed officers included in the heightened patrols.

He continued: "Events such as these are rarely spontaneous. Someone knows who was responsible... This was a shooting that has left a little girl fighting for her life."

A Metropolitan Police statement this morning read: "The child remains in a serious condition and we await further details of the other victims' conditions... No arrests have been made at this time."

One witness said she had been dining at a nearby Nando's restaurant when the incident took place, and had heard five or six shots and had seen a motorcyclist speeding off.

She added: "At first, everyone didn't think it was [a shooting] - it sounded like a car not working, but we were in Nando's and we just saw people running past."

Another local told the Hackney Gazette that she'd heard gunshots at approximately 9.20pm, prompting her to get in touch with her neighbour "right away" to ask if they'd heard the same.

She said: "I was walking back from M&S and something felt off... I couldn't put my finger on it, but sometimes you just feel danger.

MORE ON CRIME IN THE CAPITAL:

• Lawless London: More than one in five attacked or threatened in past five years, survey finds
• Watch dealer who was put in chokehold during robbery of high end jewellery store in west London found dead in his home just 24 hours later
  
• Chaos in lawless London as two people mugged by violent thugs in broad daylight attack

"I was happy to get home. Shortly after, my boyfriend and I heard the shots and ran to the window to see people running down our street. I immediately thought it was dangerous."

Another local, Tom Himpe, said: "The police were shouting at everyone to get off the street. They seemed agitated... It's not the first time there's an incident around Dalston Kingsland, but this was a drive-by shooting so that does feel of a different nature."

One man who had been at Evin restaurant when the "chaotic" attack took place, said a big group which had been eating at the Mediterranean food stop had just left when "the loud bangs - which were obviously gunshots - happened".

He said that patrons at Evin had dived under tables, adding that he had to use a coat to help stymie the blood flow from a man who had been injured - and praised emergency responders for their "very efficient" response.

The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: "We know Londoners will be shocked by what has taken place tonight.

"Our thoughts go to all those affected.

"Fast moving enquiries are under way and we will update as soon as we can. If anyone has any information, please contact us."

Police have urged anyone with information to contact authorities via 101 or @MetCC on social media, referencing CAD 8082/29May.