A quiet Merseyside village was shaken by a shooting outside a pub in broad daylight.
At around 4.20pm on July 31, a man was shot in the leg outside the Golden Lion pub, in Rainford, St Helens. With the small rural village normally being one of the most quiet areas in the region, the community has been left deeply concerned.
At the time of the shooting, both a cricket match and a christening were taking place in the surrounding area. One resident who lives on a street surrounding the pub told the ECHO : "It's absolutely shocking, you just don't get stuff like that going on around here.
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"The fact there was a christening going on in the pub as well, there would have been kids everywhere. It's just awful and so scary."
Another resident who lives close to the scene of the shooting believes those involved must have come from out of town. They told the ECHO: "It can't have been someone from around here. I don't think so anyway, it isn't that kind of place."
Despite the normally relaxed, community atmosphere in the village, the shooting has left some taking precautions with their family's safety. One parent said: "It's obviously really scary, we're not letting the kids out for a little while with all this going on. I dread to think what could happen."
Merseyside Police confirmed the victim of the shooting remains in hospital receiving treatment for injuries described as "non-life threatening". Chief Inspector Phil Cowin said: "We are in the extremely early stages of our investigation and are working tirelessly to establish the full circumstances of a shooting at the Golden Lion pub this afternoon which has left a man injured. We believe that this was a targeted attack and there is no wider threat to the community in Rainford following this incident.
"Nonetheless, we know that witnessing a shooting in a pub in broad daylight would have been incredibly shocking. I want to reassure people that detectives are working round-the-clock to find the person responsible and bring them to justice.
"Shootings such as this in Rainford, thankfully, remain rare and the number of shootings on Merseyside is at its lowest for 21 years. However, one reckless incident like this is one too many, and I’d appeal to anyone with any information to come forward as soon as possible.
"If you were in the Rainford area around 4pm and witnessed anything or anyone suspicious then please let us know. Similarly, if you were driving along Church Road and have dashcam footage, please review it and tell us if you see anything.
"At this early stage of our investigation, all information you hold could be vital to our investigation. Whether you speak to our officers at the scene, or get in touch anonymously though Crimestoppers, please contact us and help us keep our communities safe.
"There is no room for guns and the fear and harm that they bring on the streets of Merseyside and we will do everything within our power to ensure the person responsible is put before the courts."
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