What’s with the article putting “innocent victim” inside inverted commas?
Sure, they may be quoting a witness, but is there need to quote that specifically? Was anyone thinking that a nine year old child shot having dinner with her family is somehow culpable for the violence done to her?
The “BBC” has a long history of weird “quote style” No one “knows why”
I think it must be a spy code like those number stations
It’s not at all weird and very easy to explain. The BBC positions itself as an impartial reporter. Anything that appears to be a judgement call by someone else is (quite rightly) put into quotes.
In this case, I would have simply left out the words “innocent victim “ myself, as it’s a bit odd - but that is the rationale.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A girl aged nine is “fighting for her life” after a shooting in which three adults were also injured in Hackney, east London.The “innocent victim” was having dinner with her family in a restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Dalston, when shots came from outside at about 21:20 BST on Wednesday, Ch Supt James Conway of the Metropolitan Police said.Three men, aged 26, 37 and 42, sitting outside the restaurant were also injured by gunshot, believed to have come from a stolen motorbike.They and the girl, who are not believed to be known to each other, remain in hospital, with one of the men potentially suffering “life-changing” injuries.
Ch Supt Conway said there were two crime scenes - one where the shooting had happened and another at Colvestone Crescent, where the motorbike was recovered.He said: "We do not believe that the girl and the men injured were known to each other.“As with any child, she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime.”He added: "Events such as these are rarely spontaneous.
"Officers were “keeping an open mind” as to the motive, Ch Supt Conway said.On Thursday morning there were half-finished drinks glasses still on the tables of the Evin restaurant, with broken glass and chairs strewn on the floor.
Ayo Adesina, 40, who owns the nearby Aso Rock Restaurant, said he felt “stunned” in the aftermath of the shooting.
Another resident, Dave Evans, who heard gunshots while walking his dog, told the BBC it was “part of living in Hackney”.
“Ch Supt Conway added: “We are keen to identify other witnesses who were in the area around the scene at the time of the shooting.“Similarly, if you were in the Kingsland High Street area at the time of the shooting and have information or footage from a phone or other device, please share that with us.”
The original article contains 496 words, the summary contains 308 words. Saved 38%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
