Four held as girl, 12, killed at Xmas lights switch-on
Teenagers arrested after argument with victim in city centre
FOUR teenagers – one aged 13 – were being questioned last night over the death of a 12-year-old girl in a shopping precinct.
Ava White had gone with friends to watch Christmas lights being switched on in Liverpool when she got into an argument with a group of boys.
The row turned violent and she was reportedly stabbed. A passer-by administered first aid until paramedics arrived but Ava later died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Police said she suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’ in the attack at around 8.40pm on Thursday.
It happened just yards from Primark, where her mother Leean is thought to work as a shop assistant. The store had closed 40 minutes earlier and it is not known whether she was working at the time.
The incident took place in Church Street, one of the main retail areas of the city. It was packed with shoppers and tourists watching the lights ceremony.
Yesterday major shops, including Marks & Spencer, Primark and Lush, were forced to close to Black Friday customers as police set up a large cordon.
They confirmed that four boys – aged 13,
‘We saw some young guys running off’
15, and two 14-year-olds, all from Toxteth – escaped on foot before being arrested.
Mary Katilius, from Limerick in Ireland, said she and her 18-year-old granddaughter were close to the scene.
‘We heard screams and someone said to call an ambulance,’ said the 65-year-old.
‘My granddaughter said she saw some young guys running off. We rushed over straight away but there was already a man helping her.’
Forensic officers were yesterday undertaking fingertip searches and police confirmed they had yet to find the knife.
Relatives of Ava, a pupil at Notre Dame Catholic College in Everton, were too upset to speak last night. One said they were ‘devastated’ and ‘needed time’ to process what had happened.
Head teacher Peter Duffy paid tribute to the Year 8 pupil, describing her as ‘a much loved, valued and unique member of the Notre Dame family’.
‘She was an incredibly popular girl with a fantastic group of friends,’ he added. ‘Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Ava’s family and friends and all those affected by this utterly tragic event. My staff are working with students to provide all the support they need at this traumatic time.’
A youth worker said he had been inundated with calls from teenagers who witnessed the murder. Alan Walsh, an anti-knife campaigner and boxing gym owner, said: ‘They were just walking past, some of them were just 13 and they are traumatised. I have taken 12 calls since last night.’
Politicians and religious leaders also expressed their horror.
Sarah Doyle, assistant mayor of Liverpool, said: ‘I am heartbroken to hear that Ava White has died. I know news of this tragedy will shake communities across our city. My thoughts are with Ava’s family, friends and school. We will do all we can to support the city and those affected over the coming weeks.’
Police are trawling CCTV from city centre stores, according to Sue Coombs of Merseyside Police.
The detective superintendent added: ‘There were an awful lot of people in town because of the switch-on of the lights, so we’re asking if people would just check their phones. While taking photos they may have picked up something of significance they don’t even know yet.’ A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out to establish a cause of death.
Flowers were left at the edge of the police cordon in tribute to Ava. One bouquet had the message: ‘Rest in peace angel.’