Six more people have been arrested over the murder of an innocent passer-by who was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Law student Aya Hachem, 19, was hit by one of several shots fired from a car as she walked to a supermarket near her home in Blackburn, Lancashire.

She died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Police believe Ms Hachem was not the intended target of the attack.

Three men aged 28, 31 and 35 were held on suspicion of murder and two women aged 19 and 26 and a 29-year-old man were detained on suspicion of assisting an offender, police said on Wednesday.

On Monday, three men, aged 33, 36 and 39, all from Blackburn, were arrested on suspicion of murder and continue to be held after police were given extra time to question them.

This takes the total number of arrests in the case to nine.

Police say they are “working round the clock” to find out who killed Ms Hachem.

The Lebanese-born teenager, a second year student at the University of Salford, died in hospital a short time after emergency services were called to the scene in King Street on Sunday afternoon.

Detectives have said several videos of the incident are circulating on social media and urged people to formally submit them rather than continuing to share the footage online.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Andy Cribben, of Lancashire Police, said: “Our determination to get justice for her family remains undimmed.

“Our thoughts are very much with Aya’s loved ones and her family are being supported by specially trained officers.

“I would like to thank those who have come forward to assist the investigation so far and I would continue to ask that anyone who has any information, however insignificant they may think it is, to get in touch. This is an absolutely tragic loss of a young life and we need to find out what happened.

“We know a number of videos of the incident are on social media and it is important that if people are aware of any footage that they formally report this to us if they haven’t already done so as they are potential evidence.

“We would also ask people, even if they are well intentioned, not to share these videos out of respect for Aya and her family.”

A number of people were travelling in a light green/silver Toyota Avensis from which the shots were fired close to the Lidl store she was travelling to.

The vehicle, with the registration number SV53 UBP, was abandoned a short time later in nearby Wellington Road and was seized for forensic examination.

Anybody with information can call police on 101, quoting log number 0412 of 18 May, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

Source: Read Full Article