Post-mortem results of Blackburn shooting victim Aya Hachem released

Aya Hachem, 19, was shot in broad daylight as she was out shopping close to the Lidl supermarket on King Street in Blackburn on Sunday (May 17).

Emergency services attended and she was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

A subsequent post-mortem examination has revealed that Aya died as a result of a gunshot wound to her chest.

Senior Investigating Officer, Det Supt Andy Cribbin from Lancashire Constabulary’s Force Major Investigation Team (FMIT) said: “Our determination to find who was responsible for the death of Aya continues and we have a large team of detectives working on the inquiry."

It is known that before she was fatally shot, a light silver/ green Toyota Avensis drove past Aya.

Shots were fired from the vehicle, with one of the shots striking Aya in the chest, fatally injuring her.

Officers believe she was not the intended target of the attack.

The Avensis was recovered by police on Sunday (May 17) on Wellington Road and yesterday (May 18), three men aged 39, 33 and 36, from Blackburn were detained in relation to Aya’s death.

They are still being questioned.

Detectives are aware of a number of videos circulating across social media and are asking people to report them to the police.

Det Supt Cribbin added: "We know that a lot of people have expressed their support for the police investigation and I would like to thank them for that.

"However, we know of a number of videos of the incident are on social media and it is important that people formally report these to us as they are potential evidence. We would also ask people, even if they are well intentioned, not to share these videos out of respect for Aya and her family.

"Similarly, I would urge people not to speculate online about the cause of the incident and to instead share what they know with us, as their information could prove vital."

A police presence remains in the area around the shooting whilst enquiries continue.

Lancashire Police said they appreciate there is a lot of concern in the local community, but would like to assure people that there will be additional patrols.

They have also confirmed they are not treating the shooting as a terrorism-related or racially-motivated attack.

Any information or video footage can be sent to police via the major incident portal at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/0401020120E05-PO1Anyone with any other information is asked to get in touch with police by calling 101, quoting log number 0412 of May 18.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.