Toxteth gunman who shot schoolgirl bystander in neck jailed
- Published
Rio Jones fired a gun multiple times which struck a schoolgirl in the neck in Toxteth
A man who shot an "innocent" schoolgirl in the neck as she waited at a bus stop has been jailed for life.
Amid a gang dispute, Rio Jones opened fired on a rival as they rode their e-bikes along Upper Warwick Street in the Toxteth area of Liverpool on 1 March.
His 15-year-old victim, wearing school uniform, was hit by a stray bullet and suffered "devastating" injuries.
At Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Andrew Menary KC told Jones, 19, he would have to serve at least 16-and-a-half years.
The judge said Jones, of Jermyn Street, had made a "planned and determined effort to kill a rival" on the day of the shooting and that there "must be a deterrent element to the sentence".
Merseyside Police said the girl, who was continuing to recover at home, was still suffering "both physically and mentally".
Gang dispute
Det Supt Rachel Wilson described the shooting as "shocking and reckless in which an innocent child was caught up in a gang dispute".
She added it was "only by sheer good fortune" that the girl had not been killed.
A 20-year-old man who was also injured in the rush-hour incident, which happened at about 17:10 GMT, had received treatment for a wound to the hand.
Police arrested Jones days after the shooting.
He was found guilty of attempted murder, intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Jones was ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years and six months for the attempted murder and nine years - to run concurrently - for the wounding.
A 12-year jail term for the firearms offence will also run concurrently.
Det Supt Wilson said officers had "worked tirelessly" to bring Jones to justice and said she hoped the sentence "would bring some comfort to the victim and her family and help her in some way with her long process of recovery".
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk
- Published2 March 2022
