Today marks 15 years since the death of Rhys Jones - the promising young footballer from Liverpool who was gunned down in the street on his way home from practice. The 11-year-old, who was the 'star' of his under-12s team, was killed on August 22, 2007, after being caught in the crossfire of a gangland dispute.
Killer Sean Mercer, 16 at the time, had come tearing up the street on his bike and fired three shots from a borrowed Smith and Wesson. Mercer missed his intended victim - and instead, Rhys was shot in the neck and collapsed in a pool of blood in the car park of the Fir Tree pub.
Despite witnesses and many in the community knowing who was responsible for firing the deadly shot that killed little Rhys, it took police eight months to gather enough evidence to make arrests. Mercer had tried to cover up the crime with 10 accomplices but eventually, in 2008, they found themselves in court - where Sean was jailed for life.
