An innocent young woman was murdered by "callous, mindless, thoughtless" thugs who it is believed burst through her door and sprayed bullets into her home.
Ashley Dale, 28, is believed by police not to have been the intended target of the shooter, although detectives think the gunman was targeting her address in Leinster Road, Old Swan, for unknown reasons.
The force received calls from concerned members of the public at 12.40am on Sunday, reporting the sound of what they believed were gunshots or fireworks. Officers responded and found Ashley in the rear garden of the property with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead in hospital.
READ MORE: Woman, 28, shot dead in garden 'was not intended target'
The horrific incident comes four days after the death of 22-year-old Sam Rimmer, who was shot dead in Dingle on Tuesday night (August 16). Mr Rimmer's death was the first murder involving a firearm in Merseyside in more than a year.
In a tragic coincidence, Miss Dale was killed in a similar way to her little brother, Lewis Dunne, who was shot dead aged just 16 by a gang who mistook him for a rival. Miss Dale's death is believed to be completely unrelated to the murder of her brother Lewis.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, told the ECHO: "Ashley lived there largely on her own, and what we know at this time is that the front door of that property was forced open by the offender or offenders outside. A firearm was then indiscriminately discharged on multiple occasions inside.
"Ashley was inside, exactly where she should be, enjoying her Saturday evening and Sunday morning, and she was hit by one of those shots. That proved fatal despite the very best efforts of Merseyside Police and then the North West Ambulance Service.
"Merseyside Police is incredibly shocked, both to have this crime and the fact is a second firearms discharge homicide in such a short space of time. We are supporting Ashley's family as I am sure the communities recognise, and our thoughts go out to her mum, dad and wider family at this incredibly difficult time."
DCS Kameen said his team believes Ashley was home alone at the time of the killing, although he stressed the investigation is in its earliest stages and detectives are open minded to new information and theories.
He confirmed the force had examined any potential links between the murder of Miss Dale and Mr Rimmer, but said there was no evidence to suggest any connection between the two incidents.
DCS Kameen said the type of gun used to shoot Miss Dale is not yet known, although it was not a shotgun type firearm. The force has sent bullet casings from the scene off for examination, and will work with the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) to identify what kind of weapon was used and whether it had been fired in any other criminal incidents.
When asked why the force believed the address was targeted, he said: "It's very early stages of the investigation as I am sure everyone can appreciate.
"At this moment in time our position is we do not believe Ashley was the target of this attack. Ashley worked for Knowsley Council, she had recently had a promotion, she had graduated, she had her whole career in front of her, and her whole life in front of her.
"She was a young, innocent woman enjoying her life. So we do not believe, at this time, that Ashley was in any way involved in this. We believe the property was being targeted. And the reasons for that are part of our investigation now as we move forward.
"So what I am appealing for at this stage is anybody who was in that area, Leinster Road, around half past 12 in the early hours of Sunday, or Oakhill Road, or the surrounding area, if you can come forward. Even if you're not certain that you have any information just speak to a detective around what you were doing there and you may well provide us with some vital information.
"I am once again asking for any dashcam footage, any footage from doorbells or from private CCTV. Anything that people holds that helps us identify how the offenders arrived and left and how many of them there were and what took place in the address."
DCS Kameen said early examination of CCTV in the vicinity of the crime scene shows that people were present in the area at the time of the shooting, both in vehicles and on foot - and urged them to come forward.
DCS Kameen said: "I recognise there can often be a wall of silence and in this city, and potentially other cities, there is a belief around being a 'grass' or telling tales on people. I would appeal to our community members that they should be reading this interview and be utterly sickened by they're reading.
"That should galvanise people to actually come through and contact Merseyside Police, work with us, because the only place these callous, mindless, thoughtless thugs need to be is in jail. The only way we can do that is through some excellent policing work, but also absolute support from our communities.
"I cannot stress enough how vital it is that they come forward and speak to us at this time. If you're worried about this please just search your conscience around the fact we have a 28-year-old, innocent woman who's lost her life and a grieving family that we are supporting."
Lewis Dunne was murdered as he walked along a canal towpath in the Eldonian Village, Vauxhall, on November 15, 2015. Tragically, he passed by a "feral" group of drug-dealers lurking under a bridge. One of those men, believed to have been John Martin, shot the teenager in the back with a double-barrelled shotgun and left him for dead as the attackers fled.
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court heard that the killers may have mistaken Lewis for a man from a rival gang that they had clashed with in the hours before the fatal shooting, due to his blonde, curly hair. John Martin, his brother Paul Martin, and their associate Jake Culshaw were all convicted of his murder and jailed for life the following year.
Anyone with any CCTV, dashcam, doorbell camera or any other type of footage which may assist the investigation into the death of Miss Dale is urged to upload it directly to Merseyside Police using this online portal.
You can also contact the force via social media @MerPolCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873
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