New CCTV shows the movements of Sam Rimmer's murder suspects in the minutes after the 22-year-old was shot dead.
Merseyside Police has released new footage showing the movements of suspects on two electric bikes in the minutes after Sam Rimmer was shot dead. Mr Rimmer was with a group of friends on Lavrock Bank, Dingle at around 11.40pm on Tuesday, August 16 when he was shot.
An inquest into Mr Rimmer's death heard the Bootle man, known to some friends as "little man Sam," had "chased off" two men on an electric bike earlier that night. The riders are believed to have met up with another two men on a second bike, returned to the scene and opened fire, hitting Mr Rimmer with a hail of bullets.
READ MORE: 'Devious and predatory' paedophile preyed on small girl
Mr Rimmer was struck in the chest and collapsed. He was treated at the scene by paramedics and rushed to hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival. It is still unclear if Mr Rimmer was the intended target of the gunmen or whether he was caught in the crossfire in an attempt to shoot his associates.
Four males, aged between 17 and 23, have been arrested in connection with Mr Rimmer's murder and are on conditional bail as investigations continue. No one has yet been charged.
Speaking on Crimewatch Live on BBC this morning, Detective Chief Inspector Stephen McGrath again appealed for people to come forward with information regarding the "premeditated attack". New footage from Merseyside Police shows the journey the two bikes made in the minutes after Mr Rimmer's murder.
Merseyside Police traced the suspects from the scene at Lavrock Bank at 11.36pm through to Hunts Cross Avenue in Woolton, where the last sighting took place at 12.04am. Speaking of the suspected killers' route, DCI McGrath said: "The suspects have come out the alleyway (on Lavrock Bank), driven down Harlow Street and gone onto Grafton Street.
"People who know the area know this leads into the city centre. You see them turn right and go quite a distance towards the Woolton area. They've gone through Toxteth, through Princes Park and Sefton Park, then through Woolton village. The last sighting is Hunts Cross Avenue in Woolton - this is quite a distance."
DCI McGrath also extended the appeal to anyone who has information about the gun and the electric bikes used in the shooting. Mr Rimmer's shooting marked the first murder involving a firearm in Merseyside in more than a year, since the death of 26-year-old Patrick Boyle in Newway, Huyton on July 1 2021. Mr Boyle was shot twice in the chest by drug dealer Rueben Murphy, who was jailed for life in July this year.
Mr Rimmer's death was the first of three murders in a horrific week of violence in Liverpool, where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel and 28-year-old Ashley Dale were also shot dead in separate incidents.
DCI McGrath told Crimewatch Live this morning: "Sam's family are particularly distressed. They can't really understand why this has happened to Sam. He didn't live in the Dingle area. It's a very tight community in Dingle.
"I'd appeal for people to help me and help my team remove these individuals from our streets."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here .
READ NEXT:
Girlfriend accompanied drug dealer and kept his stock inside herself
Sleep expert explains why you might be tired every morning
'Hidden gem' on the grounds of a Liverpool park for sale
Motorway closures beginning today
ASBO 10-year-old, dirty protest prisoner and café owner among crooks jailed this week
