A teenager has been jailed for life following a shooting in Liverpool which a 15-year-old girl was shot in the neck.
Rio Jones, now aged 19, and of Jermyn Street, Toxteth, fired a gun multiple times at another male as they rode electric bikes along Upper Warwick Street in Toxteth on the afternoon of Tuesday 1st March last year.
The schoolgirl, who was an innocent bystander, was standing at a bus stop on Upper Warwick Street when she was hit in the neck by a stray bullet.
She was taken to hospital in a serious condition. She was later released and continues to recover at home.
A 20-year-old man was also injured during the incident and received hospital treatment for a gunshot wound to the hand.
Jones was found guilty after a trial of attempted murder, s18 wounding and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
He was today jailed for life to serve a minimum of 16 years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court for the attempted murder.
He was also further sentenced to nine years to run concurrently for the wounding and 12 years for the firearms offence also to run concurrently.
His Honour Judge Andrew Menary KC also activated 12 months of a 18 month suspended sentence for wounding in connection with a previous incident.
In passing sentence HHJ Menary said the incident was evidence of gang related violence and that the shooting was a “planned and determined effort to kill a rival” and that there “must be a deterrent element to his sentence.”
