UPDATE: 25 April 2009 18.30:

THE FAMILY of the 11-year-old girl shot while buying an ice-cream have

been left "frightened and upset", police said today.

A gunman shot and wounded the girl close to her home as she chatted to

an ice-cream man with her older sister.

She was rushed to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where medics treated

her injured shoulder.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Green said today: "I've seen her this

morning and she's frightened, upset and now just recovering slowly

from what's an ordeal for any 11-year-old child.

"Her sister, a 15-year-old girl, is shocked and upset and frightened -

the family are all shocked and upset and frightened. They all live and

work and go to school in the area. This is a community and this has

happened within their community."

The sisters were buying ice-cream on Lordens Road, Huyton, at around

9.30pm on Friday night when the victim spotted a gang of around a

dozen youths standing nearby.

Shortly after, one of them peddled towards her on a mountain bike and

indiscriminately shot her with an air-gun.

The gang then melted away leaving her older sister to run and raise the alarm.

The gunman covered his face with a scarf in what DCI Green described

as a "cowardly" and "despicable" crime.

He said the two girls will be interviewed today by specially-trained

officers, but added: "There's nothing to suggest that these young

girls have done anything to bring attention to them or to provoke an

assault."

He said a number of witnesses have come forward and his team is

responding to some "positive lines of enquiry."

He continued: "Clearly the consequences of discharging [an air gun] -

especially at someone - could be horrific. We treat it very seriously.

"One of my appeals would be to the community - this isn't right, that

an 11-year-old girl should be injured by an air-gun.

"I would appeal to the consciences of the 10 or 12 youths who were in

the group and their parents, brothers or sisters - because this is

being talked about - to provide us with information about who was

there and who did what."

The offender is described as a white boy, 16 to 17-years-old and

around 5ft 2in tall with a heavy build.