A 9-year-old girl is dead after police officers opened indiscriminate fire on a rental car, tragically mistaking a family of tourists for a fleeing gang of armed jewelry robbers. The horrific blunder unfolded on Wednesday in Chakwal, Pakistan, where the victim, Hania Ahmed from Perth, Australia, was traveling with her family for a holiday to visit relatives before planning to continue to Saudi Arabia for an Islamic pilgrimage.

The nightmare began just moments earlier when the family arrived at a relative’s home and was suddenly confronted by two armed robbers. The suspects aggressively demanded jewelry from the family before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle. Terrified and desperate to protect his loved ones, Hania’s father, Adeel, immediately hit the gas to rush his family away from the danger zone.

However, as the vehicle sped away, nearby police officers completely misjudged the situation. Assuming the rapidly accelerating car belonged to the fleeing robbers, officers opened fire on the vehicle without warning. A police official later admitted the catastrophic error, stating: “As the cops saw the vehicle being driven away immediately, they took it as belonging to the robbers and opened indiscriminate fire on the car.”

The rental car was instantly riddled with a barrage of bullets. Despite being wounded himself, Adeel managed to drive to the gate of a relative’s house before completely losing control of the vehicle and crashing. Emergency responders rushed the bleeding family to the District Headquarters Hospital, where 9-year-old Hania was tragically pronounced dead from her gunshot wounds.

The devastation did not end there. Hania’s 11-year-old brother was also struck by gunfire and remains hospitalized after undergoing major surgery for his injuries. While the children’s mother miraculously escaped physical harm, she and her husband are left in a state of absolute shock and agony. Chilling crime scene images circulating online show the family’s white Toyota hire car covered in dozens of bullet holes, illustrating the sheer violence of the police ambush.

The senseless killing of the innocent schoolgirl has triggered massive international outrage and absolute disbelief from her community back in Australia. An official investigation has been launched into the full, disturbing circumstances of the shooting, and the officer responsible has reportedly been stood down. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed they are providing urgent consular assistance to the grieving family during this unimaginable time. You can watch the full, shocking broadcast report featuring the bullet-riddled vehicle and the official investigation updates right here.