A witness to the aftermath of a Christmas Eve shooting in Liverpool that left a young woman dead has told of the horror of the night as a community struggles to come to terms with the tragedy.
Elle Edwards, 26, had been dancing with friends minutes before she was shot in the head at around just ten minutes before Christmas Day. Elle was not the intended target of the shooting.
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley, of Merseyside Police, vowed to get justice for Elle, but revealed the force has not yet found the murder weapon.
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Today a 20-year-old woman told the Daily Mirror how the carnage unfolded.
And other locals described how the festive move in the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village, Merseyside, changed when pub-goers realised gang members from a different area were drinking at the packed bar.
Shaking as she recalled the horrific aftermath, the young woman said was at the rear of the bar when she heard four loud noises.
At first I thought it was the music,” she said. “I was standing right next to a big speaker. I must have mistaken them for beats.
“Now I know it was gunshots, I thought I heard four, but I’ve heard from other people there were 12. Within a second someone ran in and shouted ‘someone has just been shot outside’. “
It was then the horror unfolded as she spotted a man clutching a bullet wound to his stomach.
“I saw a boy on the floor who had run in, holding his stomach. The manager ran to the lad and was pushing his stomach down. All the staff were helping.”
The traumatised young woman told how the community had been left in shock as some businesses nearby including another pub had remained closed out of respect.
She said: “I was too scared to walk home because we didn’t know whether someone was going to run into the the pub and shoot it up.
“It’s absolutely horrible, everyone is devastated.”
Another man who asked not to be named claimed his own daughter, the same age as Elle, was meant to be going to the Lighthouse on Christmas Eve but changed her plans.
He claimed locals had left the pub early after a tense atmosphere had started to build when gang members from outside the area turned up.
He told the Mirror: “The lads involved are not from this area that’s why a lot of the locals left about 8pm because they could feel the tension.
“We are regulars here. My daughter would have normally come here Christmas Eve but because of the atmosphere and the gangs that were in there who are not from this area - that’s why my daughter’s friends left the pub.
“Lucky that they did.”
Police continue to question a 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and a 19-year-old woman arrested on charges of conspiracy to murder.
Today Elle Edward’s devastated father Tim returned to the scene of his daughter’s murder.
Boiler-suited scenes of crimes officers were still examining the scene.
As he looked at the floral tribute surrounding the police cordon - he was consoled by friends as he broke down in tears in their arms.
Wearing a black cap, pulled low over his eyes, gloves and a puffer coat, friends who had come to lay their own bouquets of flowers shook his hand and offered their condolences before pulling the devastated dad into a hug as he covered his face to hide his tears.
Almost £15,000 has been raised in a few hours for Elle Edwards’ family.
Elle’s sister-in-law, Kirby Fraser, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her family.
The post attached to the page said: “Elle Marlene Edwards. You will always be with us, your bright smile and your infectious laugh will never be forgotten.
“Due to the devastating incident that occurred on Christmas Eve, which resulted in the tragic loss of our beautiful Elle May, I would like to help raise money for our family during these difficult times.”
Cheryl Henderson said: “Beautiful Elle taken far too soon in such a heartbreaking situation. Sending lots of love to her family, this is such a cruel world rest in peace, beautiful Angel.”
It comes after a policeman called the case “the most appalling and callous murder”, vowing to fight to end gun violence on the streets.
Mr Critchley added: “Clearly this is not the first time we have seen fatalities, particularly those caught up, who were in the right place at the right time - the offenders were not, they were doing the wrong things, that cannot be tolerated.
“Elle’s family will now suffer this loss for the rest of their lives and we are working closely with them at this most difficult and distressing time for them.
“I cannot comprehend what they are going through. We will not rest until we bring the offenders to justice, and by that I mean the person who pulled the trigger.
“Anybody responsible for arranging, facilitating or harbouring this individual and anybody who continues to withhold information on who has done this or indeed where the weapon is that has led to this tragic fatality, we will not rest we will be tireless in our approach to find justice.
“We will also continue to target anyone involved in organised criminality in the Wirral area.
"We will not rest until this person is behind bars, hopefully for the rest of their lives, and anybody who is helping them.”
Asked if he could directly link the shooting to a feud between gangs in Wirral, Mr Critchley said: “We have seen over a number of months some level of escalation here.
“There has been real relentless activity in relation to the arrest of a number of people who are now behind bars or remanded in custody, significant seizures of drugs and weapons.”
In a message to the families of those involved in organised crime, he said: “You have blood on your hands too if you’re a bystander or if you want to live off the profits being gained.”
He added: “I am truly grateful for the support police have had as has the intelligence that continues to come to us.”
He made a specific plea for anyone who might know where the gun used in the shooting was. “We’ll continue to act on all information,” he added.
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