Shots were fired on a Merseyside street for the first time since the death of Olivia Pratt-Korbel and only hours after she was laid to rest.
The nine-year-old became the third person to die after being shot in the space of six days when a gunman burst into her home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, at around 10pm on Monday, August 22. Her death came less than 24 hours after 28-year-old Ashley Dale was killed in similar circumstances in Old Swan, and six days after 22-year-old Sam Rimmer was shot in the street in Dingle.
Since Olivia's death, no shootings had been reported in Merseyside, perhaps due to a massively increased police presence as well as ramped up targeted operations to disrupt organised crime, enabled by extra Home Office funding and mutual aid from neighbouring police forces.
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However, that reprieve ended at around 12.35am today in Stanley Street, Seacombe, when Merseyside Police received reports of shots being fired. There were not, thankfully, any reported injuries this time, but a bullet smashed through a ground floor window of a house in the street.
Residents near the scene told the ECHO they heard two loud bangs, including one woman who said the noise made her "cat jump up in the air". Detectives say they believe this incident is a "targeted attack".
Before the horrific run of killings last month, Merseyside had recorded its lowest number of firearms discharges in 21 year. Until Mr Rimmer's murder, no-one had been shot dead here for just over a year, since 26-year-old Patrick Boyle was murdered by violent thug Rueben Murphy in Newway, Huyton.
Shootings have been falling in Merseyside since the inception of the force's Firearms Investigation Team (FIT), a dedicated unit which investigates all firearms discharges. However the death of three people within six days has unleashed an intense spotlight on how organised crime is tackled on Merseyside, with detectives working "around the clock" to solve each murder.
After the latest incident, Detective Inspector John Mullen, from the FIT, said: "This initially appears to be a targeted incident. Although nobody was hurt, any shots fired at a property have the potential to cause devastation to anyone inside or nearby. If you live in the area and saw or heard anything suspicious from around midnight, including people or vehicles making off, get in touch.
"Any information, dashcam from passing vehicles, or CCTV and doorbell footage from the area could be vital to removing those responsible and their weapon from the streets. We will respond to all information we receive will be acted upon.
"Contact us @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with reference 22000690520 and we will do the rest."
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