A gunman opened fire in the street to make his rivals "think twice about crossing his path", a trial was told.
Rio Jones chased a man through the streets of Toxteth on an electric bike and shot him, having previously been targeted in a series of attacks after a murder led to a group of former friends turning on each other. The 19-year-old fired six times, with one of his bullets having struck an innocent schoolgirl in the neck as she waited for a bus home.
He is currently standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of attempting to murder the target, who cannot be named for legal reasons and will instead be referred to by the ECHO as Male A. Stanley Reiz KC told the jury in his closing speech on behalf of Jones this afternoon, Wednesday, that his client had not attempted to kill the 20-year-old and was instead intent on scaring his assailants off.
