'Beautiful' woman, 28, gunned down in garden was not 'intended target' of shooting

A young woman who was gunned down in fatal shooting was not the intended target, detectives believe.

Ashley Dale, 28, was shot in the back garden of a house in Liverpool, Merseyside shortly after midnight on Sunday, August 21.

Paramedics rushed to save her but she was pronounced dead after arriving at hospital later that day.

Now police investigating the case confirmed they believe the shooting was a targeted attack, but that Ashley was likely not the intended target.

Tributes flooded in for the victim who worked at Knowsley Council, Liverpool Echo reports.

Taking to Facebook, Paige Elizabeth said: "Heart breaking this. Rip Ashley taken far too young."

Kayleigh Elizabeth Crowe replied: "Such a lovely girl."

Forensic officers have been gathering evidence at the scene while Merseyside Police continued to appeal to the public for information (PA)

One person wrote said: "She is absolutely stunningly, beautiful like a model.

"What a waste of a clearly beautiful life she was living."

Another commented: "Rip beautiful girl.

"You were taken far too young…deepest sympathy to your family thinking of you all."

A police cordon remains in place at the scene off Leinster Road in Old Swan, Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)

Ashley is the first female victim of a shooting in the city in 17 years, following the death of Lucy Hargreaves in 2005.

Similarly, Lucy was shot dead in a tragic case of mistaken identity in Walton, Liverpool.

Merseyside Police are continuing to appeal for information and urged members of the public to share anything that might help them bring the shooter to justice.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: "This clearly was a very shocking incident which has led to the death of a young woman.

"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.

Detectives say Ashley was not the intended target but that the shooting was a targeted attack (PA)

"Gun crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we will leave no stone unturned to bring those responsible for justice.

"An investigation is underway and a number of lines of enquiry are currently being investigated.

"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.

"I would urge those people to please come forward and tell us what they know. 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.

Cops patrol an alleyway close to the crime scene where a woman was tragically killed on Sunday (Liverpool Echo)

"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.”

"Information and video footage can shared directly with the investigation team via the police public portal - Public Portal (mipp.police.uk). You can also contact us via social media @MerPolCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873."