The family of a woman shot dead at her home in Moreton say they believe she was the innocent victim of a revenge attack.
Jackie Rutter, a grandmother of five, was shot in the chest in the doorway of her Meadowbrook Road home at around 1.45am on October 30, in what police described as a "targeted attack."
Her daughter's partner, speaking to the ECHO today, said they believed she was deliberately targeted by gangland thugs who had been making threats towards her and her family for weeks.
READ MORE: Suspicious car found burnt out after woman, 53, shot dead
He said: "This is payback. It came out weeks ago that if they couldn't get to who they wanted, they would get to her instead.
"Jackie wouldn't hurt a fly. She was the sweetest woman you could ever meet. She only weighed five and a half stone - and they shot her point blank.
"A group of men turned up at the house, kicked down the door and shot her."
He added: "To lose a parent is bad enough, but to have her stolen like this is just horrific."
Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or who saw a dark coloured vehicle containing up to three individuals in the Meadowbrook Road area at the time of the shooting to come forward.
The vehicle was later found burnt out on Garden Hey Road and detectives are keen to trace its movements both before and after the incident.
Jackie, 53, was described as being "in the prime of her life" when she was cruelly shot down in her own home.
Her daughter's partner said: "She was a loving mother; she'd do anything for anybody. She'd give you the last coin in her purse. She was the life and soul of the party. She was one in a million.
"She had her struggles. She brought her children up all alone, and this is how she's repaid."
He added: "As soon as we heard a woman in her 50s had been shot in Meadowbrook Road, we knew it was Jackie. We just knew."
A 79-year-old man arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder has been released under investigation pending further enquiries.
Det Supt Sue Coombs said: "Police were called to an address at Meadowbrook Road on the Wirral to reports of a 53-year-old female found deceased. Very sadly, emergency services attended and it was found the woman was dead at scene. She had an injury consistent with a gunshot wound.
"At this time we're appealing for witnesses in that area, anything they have seen or may have been captured on CCTV or dashcam footage, anything of that nature, to come forward to us.
"Clearly there's no place for guns on Merseyside streets. Too often we've seen the devastation is causes to families and communities. We will do everything in our power to make sure we identify the people responsible and bring them to justice. What I would ask is that the community work with us and provide us with whatever information they can to help us with that."
Supt Matt Moscrop added: "You will see a really high police presence in the area at the moment, around the scene, to engage with people, reassure people and gather information to support the investigation."
Police today said they would not comment directly on the family's claims. In a statement, they said a "number of lines of enquiry" were being pursued, but that the attack was being treated as targeted.
Anyone with information is asked to message @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000796038.
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