UK: Muslim woman gunned down in 'drive-by shooting'

A 19-year-old Muslim woman was shot dead in a suspected drive-by shooting outside a Lidl supermarket in Blackburn, England.

Aya Hachem, 19, was gunned down in broad daylight less than a mile from her home in Blackburn, at around 3pm yesterday and died later in hospital.

Hachem was reportedly shot by a man as she was out grocery shopping.

Miss Hachem, whose family moved to the UK from Lebanon, had just passed her second-year law exams at the University of Salford and since April 2014 had been a young trustee with the Children’s Society.

Police have now launched a murder investigation following the death of the woman, Lancashire Constabulary has announced.

“An investigation has been launched and we are determined to find those responsible — and we are asking for the public’s help identifying the offender or offenders,” Lancashire Police said.

The police are appealing for information from the public to track down those responsible.

Detective Superintendent Jonathan Holmes of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “This is a truly shocking and senseless killing which has robbed a young woman of her life.”

She was active in a number of charities and had won awards for her volunteer work, and was pursuing her dream of studying international law, heartbroken friends said.