A SIX-year-old girl had to undergo surgery after she was shot by an air rifle outside her home in Southampton.
Demi-Lee Looker was playing near her home when she was shot by the air-rifle which hit her in the ankle.
She ran screaming to her mum nearby who immediately called the police and an ambulance who took her Southampton General Hospital for treatment.
Last night police launched a hunt for the gunman who fired while Valentine Infant School pupil Demi-Lee played with two friends aged three and seven, outside her home.
Yesterday the little girl underwent surgery to remove the pellet from her ankle and stitch the wound which doctors said would leave her scarred.
Mum Fiona Walsh spoke of her horror after the incident which happened on Sunday afternoon was outside the family’s flat in Wood Close, Sholing.
She said: “Demi-Lee was with two friends and all of a sudden she came out screaming from nowhere and shouted “mummy mummy I have been shot.” She was shaking and I saw the wound, which was absolutely pouring with blood.”
The mum-of-two, aged 27, added: “I do not know why anyone would target her she was just outside with her two friends. We would never expect it to happen to your own children.
“ I do not know what to think or what to say, it is just outrageous if they have targeted her. I do not know if I want to let my children outside again after this.”
“If the pellet (above) had hit her anywhere else she could have been dead. Doctors have told me that Demi was extremely lucky and that the pellet went right through to the bone and was extremely close to the nerves.”
A spokesman from Hampshire police confirmed that officers attended an incident where Demi-Lee was shot between 3pm and 4pm.
Police are trying to work out whether the incident was deliberate and are appealing for witnesses and carrying out further enquiries in the area.
The spokesman added: “This is a very disturbing incident concerning a young child and we want to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible.”
Anyone with any information about what happened is asked to contact PC Alex Boxall on 101.
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