Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Aya fled a war-torn zone and came for a better life... she worked hard to be the very, very best person she could
Head’s tribute as 3 more held over killing
A BRIGHT and caring law student who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting has been described as a “wonderful young lady” by her former head teacher.
Aya Hachem, 19, was killed in the street as she walked in daylight to a supermarket near her home.
Police who have arrested eight people in connection with Sunday’s murder said she was “an innocent passer-by”.
Diane Atkinson, head of Blackburn Central High School, Lancs, described the death of her Lebanonborn former star pupil as “tragic”.
She said: “Aya fled a war-torn zone as a refugee and came to the UK looking for a better life.
“And she was a very, very intelligent young lady who very, very quickly picked up the command of English and worked incredibly hard to become the very, very best person she could be.”
She added: “It’s very tragic and this weekend, as a community, we have been very saddened and devastated at her loss and such a waste of a wonderful, wonderful young lady who had so much to offer and had such great aspirations to help other people.”
Aya was a young trustee for the Children’s Society, whose chief executive Mark Russell said: “She was bright, passionate, hard-working, ambitious.
“It’s a complete tragedy that her life has been cut short.” Aya, the eldest of four children, was understood to have arrived in the UK 10 years ago with her father Ismail and mother Samar.
It was believed that her father was shot and injured after he was caught in crossfire in Lebanon.
Aya, who was her school’s student of the year in 2016, had recently passed her second-year law exams at the University of Salford, where she was the vice chair of the university’s law society.
She was shot in the chest by a gunman in a Toyota Avensis car on King Street in Blackburn.
On Monday three men aged 39, 36 and 33 were arrested on suspicion of murder.
The following day two men, aged 35 and 31, were also arrested on suspicion of murder and a man, aged 29, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
And yesterday Lancashire Police said a seventh man, aged 28, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and two women, aged 26 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
All nine suspects, from Blackburn, were in custody last night.
Police said they were “working round the clock” to catch the killer.
Det Supt Andy Cribbin said: “Our determination to get justice for her family remains undimmed.
“And our thoughts are very much with Aya’s loved ones.
“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.”
A postmortem revealed that Aya, who was only 100 yards from her family home when she was hit, died as a result of a gunshot wound to her chest.
The car used by the gunman was found abandoned nearby.