A woman shot by police in Liverpool on Thursday afternoon was still fighting for her life this morning. 

It comes as a horrified mother claimed a knife-wielding woman threatened to stab her and her 10-year-old daughter before being shot by Merseyside Police, who have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) over the incident.

Becky O’Reilly says she was making the short walk to her sister’s home in Toxteth, Liverpool, when the drama unfolded at around 2pm. The 30-year-old watched as an armed woman pursued a young man on his bike, apparently threatening to attack him with the weapon.

When he cycled away, on North Hill Street, the woman started to follow Ms O’Reilly and her young daughter, very closely, for about 15 seconds, they reported.

At one point the suspect yelled: ‘I’ll stab yas, I’ll stab yas’, she claimed. 

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is appealing for witnesses after the woman in her 50s was shot in the lower abdomen by a firearms officer.

Merseyside Police were called to reports of a woman armed with a knife and acting in a threatening manner.

Ms O’Reilly, a bakery worker, says that she had fled to her sister’s home and locked the door, before the woman was shot in the lower abdomen by police. The suspect is currently fighting for her life in hospital where her condition is described as critical.

She explained: ‘We were walking and the lad came up on a bike and she was shouting all kinds of abuse to him, saying she was going to stab him and all sorts.

‘And then as I carried on walking across the road and she’s come behind us… She came running at us then with this knife.’

Ms O’Reilly continued: ‘We just ran to my sister’s. And she came back and was shouting at us.

‘It was a big knife, it wasn’t like a kitchen life, it was a long blade.

‘She was in touching distance of us. I just don’t think she was herself.’

A video emerged of the handcuffed woman lying on the ground, after being shot, in which she faintly talks to officers helping her.

In the clip, constables and other emergency workers give her assistance, and an oxygen tube is produced.

One officer repeatedly tells watching members of the public to ‘get back.’

A spokesman for the IOPC said a Taser was discharged, but they could not confirm if it made contact with the woman. Police are continuing to search for her next of kin, the spokesman said.

IOPC regional director Amanda Rowe said: ‘This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with all those affected by the events.

‘We hope to meet with the woman’s family in due course to explain our role and offer our support.

‘Our role when someone is seriously injured as the result of police action, is to establish all of the circumstances surrounding how this incident occurred.’

She continued: ‘We have already obtained CCTV footage from the area, the police officer’s body worn video, and have taken initial accounts from the two officers involved in the incident. They are both being treated as witnesses.

‘We are continuing to gather evidence and are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and may have witnessed something.’

The incident was referred to the IOPC by Merseyside Police.

On Thursday, the force said an increased police presence would be seen in the area in the following days.

Liverpool community policing superintendent Diane Pownall said: ‘I want to reassure the public that Merseyside Police is committed to keeping our communities safe and ensuring that everyone can go about their daily business safely and without fear.

‘This was an isolated incident in which officers responded to a number of members of the public reporting a woman in possession of a knife in the Toxteth area.’

The two police officers involved have been spoken to by the IOPC, with body cam footage also being obtained.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the IOPC on 0300 30 30 771 or email [email protected].

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