A seven-year-old girl who was shot in the head by her father, who then killed himself, has died in hospital.

Villagers in the village of Northiam, East Sussex, said the man, named by police as Yasser Alromisse, turned up at his ex-partner's home and opened fire.

Armed officers later found his body slumped in a parked car.

As the circumstances of the shooting emerged on Friday, Sussex police named the seven-year-old as Mary Shipstone, and said that she had died in King's College hospital, London.

Neighbours said the gunman had been in a custody battle over the girl, who moved to the semi-detached house in the Spring Hill area of Northiam last year.

It is understood that the girl's mother had moved away to escape domestic violence and that her ex-partner had discovered her new address.

Mary was a pupil at Beckley Church of England primary school in nearby Rye. A spokeswoman for the school said: "This is a dreadfully sad and shocking incident and the whole school community will be praying for her and her family."

There was a heavy police presence in Northiam, and the scene of the shooting was sealed off. Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor declined to comment on reports that Alromisse had turned the gun on himself, but said it was a "hypothesis that we are working with".

Explaining how events unfolded, Honnor said officers raced to the house and immediately realised the girl was "gravely ill". He went on: "Some distance away in Northiam, in the Spring Hill area, we then found a vehicle that we believe was involved in the shooting.

"We had to secure the vehicle with the containment and that was where members of the public were asked to stay inside their homes while we ensured the area was safe.

"Some short time after, we managed to secure entry to that vehicle and found a man inside who was deceased."

In a statement released with a picture of a smiling Mary dressed in her school uniform, her relatives said: "We are today grieving the death of our beautiful and loving Mary."

Neighbours in the quiet, close-knit community in rural East Sussex told of their shock at the shooting of a young girl in their midst. Denise Berwick, 38, who lives opposite the site of the shooting, saw Mary's distressed mother cradling her outside her home. Berwick said: "I had just come in from the school run when it all happened. All I heard was a lady shouting and then I looked out and she was cradling her child in her arms.

"It has just come as a huge shock because it's such a quiet area. I have never seen anything like that before. It's an absolute tragedy and my heart goes out to the girl and her family."

Retired Eurotunnel worker Fred Lawrence, 75, said Mary took an interest in his pet cat and described her as a "lovely" youngster. He said: "I last saw the girl this week as she was going to school. She was always with her mum. Her mum was very timid, easy to talk to and a bit insecure but a lovely lady and she would always talk.

"The girl was obsessed by my cat and she would make a fuss before going on her merry way to school. I'm a bit upset talking about this. We are all close round here and we have lived in this community for around 40 years. It's a good neighbourhood."

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Taylor said: "There are still a large amount of inquiries being carried out before we can confirm the full picture of what happened. We are currently trying to establish Mr Alromisse's movements over the last few days and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard from him.

"At this time, however, I am not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation and believe this to be an isolated incident."

Anyone with information about the incident should call Sussex Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.