Liverpool, England – An 11-year-old slain in a headline- grabbing shooting was remembered Saturday by the players and fans of the soccer team he dreamed of someday joining.
Rhys Jones was kicking a soccer ball with friends Wednesday night when he was hit in the back of the neck by a bullet, reportedly fired by one of two youths riding by on a BMX bike.
Investigators said Rhys was not the target of the shooting near a pub after a soccer game.
It was the latest in a string of killings involving children that has focused attention on gangs and guns in Britain despite the country’s relatively low gun violence.
Rhys idolized the Everton team, whose players took to the field wearing black armbands Saturday as police appealed over the public-address system for help in finding the killer.
Fans rose to their feet and applauded for a minute to pay tribute to Rhys, whose face looked down from the stadium’s giant video screen to the crowd of more than 30,000 – which included his mother, father and older brother.
Police have arrested eight people, mostly teenagers, in the case, some on suspicion of murder. One could be the main suspect, but police need witnesses to confirm the person’s identity, police said.
