Detectives say they remain open-minded on whether two shootings in less than a week on the streets of Wavertree are linked.
Gunshots rang out in Birch Grove late on Thursday, April 21, before a woman was shot in the leg on Deverell Grove in the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday, April 26). The crime scenes are on roads either side of Mill Lane, between Edge Lane and the Picton roundabout.
The victim of the second shooting, a woman in her 50s, was watching TV in the living room of her home when the gunman burst inside at around 12.15am demanding to speak to someone. Merseyside Police said the suspect then went to leave the property but fired off a number of rounds, at least one of which hit the woman in the leg.
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The shooter is then believed to have left the scene on a motorbike with two other men, which is believed to have travelled down Mill Lane in the direction of Edge Lane. So far there have been no arrests.
According to one woman who knows the family, the victim was lying on the couch watching TV when the gunman burst in. One neighbour described the victim, a mum-of-four, as a "lovely person, with a heart of gold."
She added: "The poor woman was doing nothing wrong. She was in her own home and that happened to her. I think it's disgusting. I'm just glad she's ok. I've known her for years. She'd do anything for anybody and is so laid back. It breaks my heart that this has happened to her."
Another neighbour, who gave his name as Max, added: "I was in my bed when I heard shots. It was one shot followed by two others and I knew it wasn't a firework. Ten minutes later it was like a police depot with all the police here. Very little happens in the street in the seven years I've lived here. We didn't even break lockdown protocols."
Police said while they believe the property was targeted by the gunman, they do not believe the woman was the intended target. Although no-one was injured in the earlier shooting, a house on Birch Grove was hit with bullets while the occupants were inside.
Police were called to the area at around 11.20pm where they found damage to the front door of a house which was consistent with gunfire. Detectives described as "extremely reckless and dangerous".
One woman, who has lived in the area since the houses were first built over 40 years ago, described it as a "quiet area" where everyone knows everyone. She returned home shortly before midnight on Thursday to find "police everywhere" and a van patrolling the area.
She told the ECHO: "We've all been here since day one so all of our children and grandchildren come on here to play. I was absolutely shocked. You can normally hear a pin drop it's that quiet around here."
The close proximity and timings of the shootings in a year when gun crime has fallen dramatically will raise questions about potential links, although Merseyside Police were guarded about whether a link is a serious line of enquiry.
A spokesman said: "We are keeping an open mind as to whether the incidents are linked and the motives behind them."
In a briefing to journalists yesterday (Tuesday), Chief Inspector Matthew Moscrop told the ECHO: "We’ve got a good idea about the course of events, but we're just trying to get as much information as we can from the community, from people out and about, from CCTV, from dash-cam footage, from any information about this, in particular anyone who saw three people who were hanging around that area - two on a bike perhaps, or a motorbike, who left the area shortly after the firearm was discharged."
He added: "The motorbike headed off Mill Lane towards Edge Lane, but clearly there are an awful lot of opportunities around there, so we’ve got quite a broad scope of the CCTV that we’re looking at, so anyone who saw a motorbike, electric bike, with a couple of people on at around 12.15am, we do need to hear from them."
Anyone with any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage or information about either incident is asked to DM the force's social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 22000283903 (Deverell Grove incident) or 22000274290 (Birch Grove incident).
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form here.
