The young man whose horrific murder was the first in a spate of devastating fatal shootings across Merseyside was due to become a dad this month, his family shared in a moving tribute.
Sam Rimmer, 22, died after being shot in the chest on Lavrock Bank, Dingle, at 11.40pm on Tuesday, August 16. Merseyside Police have said the fatal shot was fired by one of four men on two electric bikes which drove into the cul-de-sac where Sam was standing with friends.
A coroner's court has also heard Sam and his associates had "chased off" two men on one of the bikes earlier in the evening. Those two suspects then met up with the other two on the second bike, and the offenders returned to the scene with fatal consequences for Sam.
Four people have so far been arrested in connection with his death and remain on police bail. Today (Friday, January 6) marks what would have been Sam's 23rd birthday.
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His mum has released a heartbreaking statement and declared "we will not rest until justice is served." She said: "Today, Sam would have been celebrating his 23rd birthday. Sam loved his birthday and the day was a special family occasion as he shared his birthday with me, his mum.
"Every birthday Sam would say ‘happy birthday Mumzy’ and it breaks my heart to know I will never hear those words again. Sam was funny, caring and loyal. He was the life and soul of every party and his laugh was infectious.
"His birthday is an unbearable reminder that Sam was cruelly stolen from us and we will never hear him laugh again.
"This month Sam was due to be a father and he was so excited about having a baby boy. It brings the family comfort that a part of Sam will live on, however, the devastating reality is baby Sam will never feel his dads’ arms around him or know how it feels to hear his dad’s laughter.
"Sam’s death has broken our family and we will never recover. He made an impact on anyone he met. If you knew Sam, you loved him. Sam, we love and miss you so much. Fly high and watch over your son and us all.
"We will not rest until justice is served. Love always your devastated and broken-hearted family."
Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the senior investigating officer in Sam's case, said: "Our most sincere thoughts and condolences are with Sam’s family and friends on what should have been his 23rd Birthday. A day of celebration that he also shared with his mum. We know this will be a difficult time for them as they start a new year without him.
“Although we have made several arrests across Liverpool since the murder of Sam Rimmer we know there’s more to be done and our enquiries remain ongoing.
"It is vital that anyone who was the area of Lavrock Bank, at about 11.40pm on Tuesday 16 August comes forward with any information or footage that could help our investigation.
"Our detectives will review any information you share with us so please look back to that night and contact us immediately if you remember anything that could help us bring justice for Sam’s family.
"Please don’t assume we already have this information or guess how significant it might be. Our detectives will assess this and do all we can to trace any suspects.
I"f you haven’t already contacted us we have a dedicated portal on our website where footage can be downloaded and it can be accessed by using this link Public Portal."
Alternatively, anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting 22000603397.
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