Ladbroke Grove shooting: Eight-year-old girl and 34-year-old man shot at point-blank range near London

A horrified mother screamed ‘my baby’s been shot’ after a gunman let loose a hail of bullets into her car.

Her eight-year-old daughter and a 34-year old man were hit when the shooter fired multiple times at point-blank range.

But miraculously the mother and her other daughter aged two escaped unhurt.

On Monday night the two victims were in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital with gunshot wounds, police said.

Scotland Yard added that a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder immediately after the shooting in North Kensington, west London, on Sunday.

Shocked witnesses heard “four or five” gunshots at about 5.30pm and said they believed the male victim had been the target of the attack, with the schoolgirl “caught up in the crossfire”.

One witness named Sharon told the Metro newspaper how the gunman approached the car wielding a pistol and fired into the driver’s window in what appeared to be an assassination attempt.

“I came out and saw a man pointing a gun into a car,” she said.

“I saw flashes from the gun,” she added.

“The guy was shooting directly into a car. I was literally coming out of the exit to my mum’s block of flats, and as I was going out I saw a guy shooting into the car multiple times.

“He was firing directly, at close range, as if you’re standing to open a door, they were shooting directly into it.

“It was a targeted attack, it looked like. A woman got out of the car and was carrying a child; there was screaming. I ran inside my block. It was terrifying.”

A 64-year-old witness added: “I heard shots, and then a woman shouting, ‘my baby, my baby’s been shot’. There were four or five shots, there was screaming. A neighbour went out with a duvet to cover the injured.”

Another neighbour said: “I heard that someone was trying to shoot the man and the girl happened to be caught in the crossfire. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The shooting happened outside the gated Grand Union Apartments complex, where two-bedroom flats sell for as much as £800,000 ($1.5 million).

A resident said he believed the male victim lived in the block with his family.

The man added that residents in the well-maintained complex, which has a large courtyard and secure entry, were growing increasingly concerned about crime in the area.

In July, Rene Graham, 15, was shot dead at nearby Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park while enjoying a “family fun day” event before the Notting Hill Carnival.

“It’s not cheap to live here but it’s not the first time something like this has happened,” the resident added.

“Another man was shot dead in his apartment on one of the top floors previously.”

On Monday night police cordons remained in place as investigators continued to comb the area for evidence.

After the shooting, forensics officers were seen crouched in shattered glass beside the family’s black Kia SUV examining debris on the road.

Superintendent Owen Renowden said the male victim had suffered potentially life-changing injuries while the girl needed surgery but her wounds were not thought to be life-threatening.

Appealing for witnesses, he added: “This is an appalling incident that has left two people seriously injured, including a young girl who thankfully is in a stable condition.’