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Girl, 6, shot in 'revenge attack' over murder

Paul Kelbie
Tuesday 04 November 2003 01:00 GMT

A six-year-old girl was shot through the arm during an attack on her brother and mother yesterday, becoming the latest casualty of Britain's gun culture. Police believe the attack may have been linked to a feud between families.

Makada Weaver was wounded by a ricochet after answering the door to the gunman at her family's council house in the Edge Hill area of Liverpool.

In what police believe was a revenge attack for a murder three year ago, for which the girl's uncle was acquitted, a man approached the house and asked to speak to the girl's teenage brother. In the hallway of the terraced house the attacker opened fire.

After shooting 19-year-old Adrian in the thigh the gunman shot dead the family's bull mastiff and then fired about four shots at the children's mother, Valerie Weaver, 35, wounding her three times in the stomach. One of the shots is believed to have ricocheted and grazed the girl's chest before passing through her arm.

Neighbours called the police and the victims were taken to hospital, where they were described as "comfortable". A spokesman said none of the injuries was life-threatening.

The shooting may be connected to the murder of a Liverpool man, Clay Benjamin, who was stabbed at a club in Toxteth in October 2000. Ms Weaver's brother, Eugene Weaver, was acquitted of Mr Benjamin's murder. Chief Superintendent Mike Langdon of Merseyside Police said: "We are looking into a number of links with this incident, including the death of Clay Benjamin three years ago."

Yesterday at the four-bedroom house in Chatsworth Drive police were searching the property as neighbours in the normally quiet estate gathered to watch.

"I can't believe it could happen here," said Joan Welsby. "If they have a problem with one of the men in the family that's bad enough, but to take it out on a woman and child is disgusting."

Although the area, about a mile from the city centre, has had problems with burglaries and drug-related offences over the years, violent crime in and around Chatsworth Drive is unusual.

"There have been a couple of incidents with this family over the past few months," said another neighbour, who asked not to be named. "A few weeks ago a man tried to kick the door down at the house and there was an incident when police were called."

Firearms incidents in Merseyside have increased by 7.6 per cent over the past year, compared with a 35 per cent increase nationally, but the number of weapons confiscations by police has doubled.

Norman Bettison, Chief Constable of Merseyside, said his officers had a "reasonable idea what the motive may have been", and had a number of people they wanted to interview. "This type of feud has to stop. It is just a macho desire to show force and authority and innocent people are being hurt," he said.

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