A nine-year-old girl was shot with an airgun in what is being treated as a racially aggravated assault in Bristol, say police, who have increased patrols in the area.

The victim, who has been left “traumatised”, was hit three times by a pellet and the white male suspect, thought to be 17 to 18 years old, shouted racially abusive language at the girl, Avon and Somerset police said.

The incident was being treated as a hate crime, the force said.

While the victim did not sustain serious physical injury, she and her family are said to be distressed by the attack, while the young girl has been left too frightened to leave her house.

Her attacker has not been found. He is described as having dark blond hair and a slim face, and as about 5ft 11in tall. He was wearing a distinctive blue padded coat and riding a black electric scooter with white writing at the time, police said. A second offender is also believed to have been involved.

Keith Smith, a neighbourhood policing chief inspector, said: “Let me be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate. This is a truly awful incident for anyone to experience, but it is all the more shocking this has happened to a young girl.”

He added: “This is a deeply troubling incident targeting a child, who is clearly much younger than the offender, and we understand the impact this has, not only on her and her family who we are in contact with, but also the wider public.

“Neighbourhood officers are conducting house-to-house enquiries today and will be for the next few days reassuring residents, increasing our visibility, and progressing the investigation.

“We would also like to stress that at this time we are not aware of any other similar crimes happening, but one such incident is one too many. We would encourage anyone with useful information to come forward.”

The incident happened in Chakeshill Drive in the Brentry area of the city at about 1.30pm on 2 September.

The police force launched an appeal for information on Wednesday and announced late on Thursday that increased patrols would be taking place in the area. Officers are conducting household and CCTV inquiries to try to identify the perpetrator and locate potential witnesses.

Police have asked people with dashcam, CCTV or doorbell footage of the incident, or the moments leading up to it or immediately afterwards, to contact them on 101 quoting reference number 5225247677, or to complete the online appeals form.