Blackburn shooting: Three more arrests over Aya Hachem killing

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Media captionDiane Atkinson pays tribute to Aya Hachem who was shot dead in Blackburn

Three more people have been arrested over the fatal shooting of a young woman from a passing car.

Aya Hachem, 19, was found with a wound to her chest in King Street, Blackburn on Sunday.

Two men, aged 31 and 35, are being held on suspicion of murder and a 29-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender.

It follows earlier arrests of three men from Blackburn, aged 33, 36, and 39 who remain in custody.

‘Complete tragedy’

Ms Hachem was out shopping at about 15:00 BST when she was hit by a single bullet, Lancashire Police said.

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said the “completely innocent” law student had been the intended target.

Her parents said she was the “most loyal devoted daughter” who “dreamed of becoming a solicitor”.

She was also a young trustee for the Children’s Society.

The charity’s chief executive Mark Russell said: “She was bright, passionate, hard-working, ambitious – she wanted to be a lawyer and we used to talk about that.”

“It’s a complete tragedy that her life has been cut short.”

Her former head teacher described as a “wonderful young lady who had so much to offer”.

Diane Atkinson, executive head teacher at Blackburn Central High School, said she was a “very intelligent young lady” who had “great aspirations to help other people”.

She said Ms Hachem “worked incredibly hard to become the very, very best person she could be”.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died as a result of a single gunshot wound to her chest.