Two gunmen were reportedly heard shouting "give us our money" before forcing their way into a house and shooting a man in the leg in the shadow of Anfield stadium.
The victim was heard screaming after the violent scenes inside a property on Norgate Street, Anfield, in the early hours of today (Tuesday, August 2). This morning a house on the corner with Sleepers Hill was cordoned off by police, with shattered front windows and black marks covering the front door.
Merseyside Police confirmed emergency services were called to the scene at 3.25am after reports of shots being fired, and found a man with gunshot wounds to his leg inside a property. He was rushed to hospital where he is being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.
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The force said it is also believed two suspects fled the scene on foot in the direction of Sleepers Hill. Residents in the area said the property had been the subject of a number of police raids in recent weeks.
One man living close by, who asked not to be named, told the ECHO: "I was asleep but I heard a bang around 3am. I heard a bang like someone kicking a door and then a fella screaming in distress of some sort.
"I got up and looked outside and there were cars pulled up with fellas with guns, the police. They were talking about a firearms discharge. I heard one of them say 'we're going to have to treat him outside'."
A woman living nearby told the ECHO: "I was asleep but I heard the police coming and went outside. One of my neighbours heard it, he told me there was two lads kicking the door in, saying 'give us the money'. The next thing, it all went quiet for a few seconds, and then there were two gunshots. Then the police arrived."
The woman said the area had been blighted by a number of drug-dealing gangs operating from houses in the terraced streets off Sleepers Hill. She said: "There's people coming and going all the time from that house. Taxis will pull up all hours, you see them coming and going, it's really bad.
"It's a big thing round here. The sad thing is, you are getting lots of different people new to the area from, refugees and things, with lovely families who must be made up to get their little house and they don't know what they're getting into. They must be horrified.
"It's becoming a no go area. They were supposed to be making everything nice around the football ground and that seems to have all stopped."
One man living near the scene of the shooting said: "I didn't hear the gunshots but I heard the police knocking on the doors, and when I looked out the ambulances were there.
"It's all the time, 24/7, there is always police activity at that house. I know drug-dealing is going on. It doesn't bother me, I grew up in L8 at the time of the riots and you used to see shootings and knives every day - it goes on. It's a shame it gets to this, but you live by the sword you die by the sword."
A young woman living close by said she heard banging in the early hours of the morning but "you hear shouting and banging all the time here".
Another woman, who said she had lived close to the scene for around a decade, said the area is a trouble-spot for both drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour linked to drug-taking. She said: "It's really sad, a lot of them need help. You will never see the bosses. It's a bad situation. We are trying to move away."
Forensic investigators could be seen coming and going from the property throughout the morning, while plain-clothes detectives and uniformed officers knocked on doors in the streets around the scene. A film crew from Merseyside Police could also be seen capturing footage inside and outside the property.
There was also a police cordon around a set of communal bins at the entrance to Butterfield Street, on the opposite side of Sleepers Hill to Norgate Street.
Firearms discharges are at a two decade low in Merseyside, but there have been a cluster of troubling incidents involving injuries in recent weeks. On Sunday afternoon (July 31) a man was shot in the legs in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Rainford, while a christening party was ongoing inside.
Another man was shot in the legs multiple times on Cubert Road in Croxteth on July 11, and on July 1 a 23-year-old man was shot multiple times in the legs and back on Croxdale Road West, West Derby, on July 1. There have also been a number of shootings where no injuries were reported.
Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Catherine Walsh, from Merseyside Police's Firearms Investigation Team, said: “Our officers are in the very early stages of an investigation into a shooting in Walton which has left a man injured. We understand the fear that gun crime causes and I’d like to assure the community that we think this was a targeted attack, one which we are thoroughly investigating.
"We are currently working tirelessly to locate the suspects and our officers will have a visible presence on Norgate Street today while enquiries are carried out. It is absolutely vital that we get all information from those communities who feel the impact of gun crime, so we can bring those responsible to justice.
"I would therefore appeal to anyone in the Walton area in the early hours of this morning who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward. If you have any CCTV, ring doorbell or dashcam footage, please check it and let us know if you see anything significant. Any piece of information, however small, could prove vital to our investigation.
"Let me be clear that there is no place for firearms, or those who use them and bring fear and harm to our communities. Please, come forward and tell us what you know and we will take action to find those responsible and remove them from our streets."
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to direct message @MerPolCC, message ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101 with reference 22000557333. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or make a report via their online form here.
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