A primary schoolgirl who was shot in the head by her estranged father in East Sussex on Thursday afternoon has died in hospital, police have confirmed.

Yasser Alromisse fired a gun at Mary Shipstone, 7, from a parked car on a driveway next to her home, before he apparently fatally turned the gun on himself. Police are not treating his death as suspicious.

Following the shooting in Northiam near Rye, East Sussex, just before 4pm, the young girl was rushed to Kings College Hospital in London, where she was fighting for her life.

Mary, who lived with her mother and brother, died from her injuries just before 3pm on Friday, according to a police spokesman.

In a statement issued through Sussex Police, her relatives said: “We are today grieving the death of our beautiful and loving Mary.”

Mr Alromisse had separated from Mary’s mother, and did not live at the property in Spring Hill where he shot his daughter.

Chief Superintendent Neil Honnor, Sussex Police's divisional commander for East Sussex, called the shooting a “tragic domestic incident”.

“We are working with partner agencies and local leaders to support and reassure the community who are understandably upset about what has happened.

"We are trying to be as open and honest with the public as we can but have to take into account the traumatic experience the family is going through as well as the fact that this is an ongoing investigation," he added.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Taylor confirmed a “large amount of inquires” must be carried out before the "full picture of what happened" can become emerge. He added that police are trying to piece together Mr Alromisse’s movements over the past few days.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard from Mary's father, and are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation, he added.

Earlier, police had warned to expect the worst as Mary fought for her life in hospital. And teachers at her school, Beckley C of E Primary, said they had been praying for her and her family.

Denise Berwick, 38, who lives opposite where the shooting happened, saw Mary's distressed mother cradling her outside her home.

Ms Berwick, who has a nine-year-old son, 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.

"I didn't want to go outside because I have a young child. I recognised the lady from when she introduced herself to me when I moved in.

"She's a lovely lady. She's polite, shook my hand when I first met her and said if I needed anything I could look upon her.

"I don't know if she had a partner and she had never mentioned anything about having domestic problems. 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."

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