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Blackburn shooting: Aya Hachem's father pays tribute | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The father of a woman who was shot dead in the street hoped his family would be safe in the UK after they fled Lebanon. | |
Law student Aya Hachem, 19, was shot from a passing car in a case of mistaken identity, in the town's King Street on Sunday. | |
Her father Ismail told the BBC his dreams have been destroyed in the wake of her death. | |
Two more people have been detained in connection with the investigation, bringing the number of arrests to 11. | |
Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of murder while a further three suspects have been held on suspicion of assisting an offender. | |
Police have been given more time to question the first three men who were arrested on Monday. | |
The suspects, who are aged 19 to 39, remain in police custody. | |
'Complete tragedy' | 'Complete tragedy' |
Ms Hachem was walking towards Lidl at about 15:00 BST when she was hit by one of several shots fired from a car. | |
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, of Lancashire Police, said the "completely innocent" law student had not been the intended target. | |
Mr Hachem said he repeatedly tried to call his eldest daughter - who with her family had been living in the UK for a decade - when she did not return home from the supermarket. | |
His wife later told him "my heart is saying go check on Aya", he told the BBC. | |
During his search to find his daughter, Mr Hachem discovered King Street had been cordoned off. | |
He was unaware that this was the scene of his daughter's death until the police arrived at his home later that day. | |
"I start crying... cause all my dreams, Aya," he said. | |
"I think I would be safe here... in this small town. No big problems." | |
The Lebanese-born teenager - a second year student at the University of Salford - was a young trustee for the Children's Society. | |
The charity's chief executive Mark Russell said: "She was bright, passionate, hard-working, ambitious. | The charity's chief executive Mark Russell said: "She was bright, passionate, hard-working, ambitious. |
"It's a complete tragedy that her life has been cut short." | "It's a complete tragedy that her life has been cut short." |
'Great aspirations' | 'Great aspirations' |
Her former head teacher described as a "wonderful young lady who had so much to offer". | Her former head teacher described as a "wonderful young lady who had so much to offer". |
Diane Atkinson, executive head of Blackburn Central High School, said: "She fled a war-torn zone as a refugee and came to the UK looking for a better life. | Diane Atkinson, executive head of Blackburn Central High School, said: "She fled a war-torn zone as a refugee and came to the UK looking for a better life. |
Ms Hachem arrived at the school as a 12-year-old "with very little English" but "picked it up very quickly". | Ms Hachem arrived at the school as a 12-year-old "with very little English" but "picked it up very quickly". |
She was a "very intelligent young lady" who had "great aspirations to help other people" and "worked incredibly hard to become the very, very best person she could be", Ms Atkinson said. | She was a "very intelligent young lady" who had "great aspirations to help other people" and "worked incredibly hard to become the very, very best person she could be", Ms Atkinson said. |
A Toyota Avensis, believed to have been used in the shooting, was later found abandoned in Wellington Road. | |
Detectives said the shooting was not being treated as terrorism-related or a racially-motivated attack. |