A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a five-year-old girl critically wounded in the crossfire of a suspected botched assassination attempt.
The 19-year-old was detained in south London on Thursday afternoon following the shooting in a shop in Stockwell on Wednesday in which Thursha Kamaleswaran and another bystander were injured.
Scotland Yard said the man is being questioned at a south London police station.
Thusha is critical but stable in hospital after a bullet struck her in the chest as she visited relatives who ran the Stockwell Food and Wine shop in Lambeth, south London.
Even in a borough that has suffered a high degree of teenage gang related violence, the gunning down of an innocent child has caused great shock. A reward of £50,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those behind the shooting.
It happened after three youths on bicycles chased two others, who fled into the shop. Shots were then fired, injuring the girl and a 35-year-old man, Roshan Selvakumar, who was shot in the face. He is recovering in hospital.
One of the two youths believed to be the intended target of the teenagers on bicycles has now contacted police.
A police source said: "He's probably realised he'll be safer with us."
Detective Chief Inspector Tony Boughton, leading the inquiry, said: "One of the youths who first ran into the shop has come forward and is assisting us with our inquiries. We are still trying to trace the other individual and appeal to him to come forward."
The youths behind the shooting are believed to have continued cycling around the area for up to 45 minutes after gunning down the innocent pair.
Thusha was visiting relatives at the shop along with her mother, sister, three, and brother, 12, who were unhurt.
Detectives are studying CCTV from neighbouring shops and streets to build up a picture of what happened before, during and after the shooting.
In a statement, police said: "One of these youths had been chased from Broomgrove Road, across Stockwell Road, and into the shop by three other males, described as black youths, on bicycles. Once the youths on bikes were outside the shop, one of them fired shots into the shop front."
The shootings are being investigated by the Metropolitan police's Trident unit, which specialises in tackling gun crime, particularly in London's African-Caribbean communities.
Claudia Webbe, chair of Trident independent advisory group, said: "Although incidents like this are isolated, they have a huge impact locally. This is a societal problem; once the bullet has been fired, it affects us all. The whole community is united in bringing these violent and cowardly criminals to justice."
Gail Brannan, headteacher of Fairlop primary school in Ilford, which the injured child attended, said: "Thusha is a cheerful girl who loves school and involves herself happily in everything. Our thoughts are with her and her family and we hope that she makes a full recovery soon."