A woman was shot dead in her back garden in what police say was a case of mistaken identity, seven years after her teenage brother died in similar circumstances.
Ashley Dale, 28, was found fatally wounded in Old Swan, Liverpool, early on Sunday morning. Officers were called just after 12.40am on Sunday to a house and found Ms Dale with injuries to her body consistent with gunshot wounds.
She received medical treatment at the scene but was taken to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
Her family paid tribute to their “shining light” and condemned the killing as a “senseless crime” as police made house-to-house inquiries in the local area.
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Ms Dale has been identified as the sister of Lewis Dunne, a boy shot dead at 16 in 2015 by a Liverpool gang who mistook him for a rival. Their deaths were not thought to be related.
In a statement released through Merseyside Police, her family said: “Ashley, our girl, our shining light.
“Our hearts are broken into a million pieces. Ashley was a hard-working young woman, who had her entire life ahead of her.
“She had just been promoted at her job with Knowsley Council,” the statement continued. “She had a degree and so many plans for her bright future that had only just begun. Her laugh, smile and energy was infectious in any room.
“We can’t come to terms with how this would happen to a defenceless woman in her own home. None of this makes sense and our lives will never be the same again.
“A senseless crime that has torn a family apart. Justice needs to be brought.”
Merseyside Police said it was not believed that the property Ms Dale was in was the target of the shooting rather than her.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: “I understand how frightening incidents like this can seem to ordinary members of the public, and in the coming hours and days we will be speaking to people living in the local and wider community to reassure them of the ongoing work we are doing to find the person or people responsible.
“Gun crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we will leave no stone unturned to bring those responsible for justice,” he continued. “The community, as always, are our eyes and ears and we know that there may be people living locally who saw or heard something in the early hours which may prove to be significant to our investigation.
“If you live or work locally and have private CCTV or a Ring doorbell please check it to see if it captured anything which may assist us.
“Similarly I would ask taxi and delivery drivers if they were driving in the area to check their dashcam footage.
“We are particularly keen to find anyone who saw a vehicle being driven erratically in the area around Prescot Road.”
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council leader Graham Morgan said everyone at the town hall is “extremely saddened” by Ms Dale’s death.
He said: “Ashley will be a big loss to her team and the wider council as well as those Knowsley residents who she supported.”
Anyone with information is asked to message @merpolcc on social media. Anonymous reports can also be made to Crimestoppers on @crimestoppersuk or by calling 0800 555 111 – quoting log 0030 of 21st August.
