The victim of a pub shooting that sent shockwaves across Merseyside will be laid to rest today.
Elle Edwards, 26, died after being shot in the head by the front entrance of the Lighthouse pub, Wallasey Village, shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve. Elle was hit alongside five men, aged between 22 and 33, with the other victims all surviving their injuries.
The popular beautician, from New Brighton, was celebrating with her sister and friends, and detectives say she was not the intended target of the shooting. Her dad, Tim Edwards, said in a recent Sky News interview that he was hoping to set up a foundation in his daughter's name.
READ MORE: Elle Edwards' nan will miss 'beautiful granddaughter' 'until we meet again'
He said: "There's no winners with gun crime. If you pick up a gun, your future is over and everybody else's future around you is over. It's dead simple. It's absolutely pointless and it solves nothing.
"I want to see a positive that comes out of this. Elle's name will be used for good in the future. She can't be forgotten."
Elle's funeral is due to take place this afternoon at St Nicholas Church, and will be followed by a private service at Landican Cemetery and Crematorium, the Diocese of Chester has confirmed.
In a statement released shortly after her death, her family said: "There was no one as beautiful as our Elle May, her looks, her laugh and the way she would light up a room as soon as she walked in. She had this way about her that as soon as you met her you just instantly fell in love with her, everyone that met Elle knew how special she was.
"Her laugh was infectious anyone who was around her had a good time, she loved her life and had so many amazing plans for the future. She was only just getting started. Christmas and our family will never be the same again without her."
Connor Chapman, 22, of Houghton Road in Woodchurch, Wirral, is due to face trial in June this year charged with Elle's murder. He also faces two counts of attempted murder, relating to victims Keiran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, as well as three counts of wounding with intent towards Harry Loughran, Nicholas Speed and Liam Carr.
He also faces charges of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition, and handling stolen goods relating to a Mercedes car.
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