Floral tributes were left outside Ashley Dale's home days after she was shot dead.
The 28-year-old is not believed to have been the intended target of the shooting at her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan. Police believe the property was targeted by one or more thugs, who burst in through the front door and sprayed bullets "indiscriminately".
Ashley was found with gunshot wounds in the back garden and taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Bouquets of flowers were laid outside her home on Leinster Road today as people paid tribute to the 28-year-old Knowsley Council worker.
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Paying tribute on social media, a family member shared a video of Ashley at her graduation ceremony with the song Dancing in the Sky by Dani and Lizzy Nelson played over the top of it.
Ashley was described as a "hard working young woman" by her family in a moving statement, issued via Merseyside Police. The 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. 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."
Detectives investigating the murder have released CCTV footage of a car seen being driven into Leinster Road on Sunday August 21, at around 12.30am - roughly 10 minutes before the shooting was reported. Officers wish to speak to the car's driver, or any passengers, as police believe they may have vital information which could help the investigation.
Ashley's death came just days after Sam Rimmer was shot dead on Lavrock Bank in Dingle on Tuesday, August 16, in the first murder involving a firearm in Merseyside in more than a year.
Just days later, on Monday, August 22, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot in her own home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, as she hid behind her mother who opened the door after hearing a commotion.
In a CCTV appeal, shared as part of the investigation into Ashley's murder on Tuesday, Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said: “Our officers are working round-the-clock to investigate this appalling incident which led to the tragic death of a young woman.
“Our enquiries so far show that a car was driven into Leinster Road, not too long before the incident was reported to police. If it was you driving the car, you were a passenger or the CCTV jogs your memory about anything you might have seen in the early hours of Sunday morning then please get in touch. Information you have could be crucial to our ongoing investigation.
“From reviewing CCTV footage in the area, we have also identified that there were a number of people on foot around the time of the incident. A boxing match had not long finished and so the area was relatively busy with people on foot, going home or into town after the match.
“If you were walking in the area of Leinster Road or on Prescot Road, including the crossroads near the Navigator pub between 12.20am and 12.40am on Sunday morning then please let us know. You may have seen or heard something which could really help us find those responsible.
“Similarly, I would ask taxi and delivery drivers if they were driving in the area between 12.20am and 12.40am and have dashcam footage please contact us.
“If you haven’t already come forward, please submit any information you have directly with our investigation team through our online portal: Public Portal ( mipp.police.uk ). This will make sure that your information is received and acted on as quickly as possible by detectives.
“Please come forward with anything you know to help us to get justice for Ashely’s family and put those responsible for this horrific incident before the courts.”
Anyone with any information can contact Merseyside Police via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873.
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CCTV of car seen in road minutes before Ashley Dale was shot dead
