As we approach the Christmas season detectives across the city are working flat out following a dreadful three month period that saw four people shot dead.
The latter half of August will live long in the memory as one of the most shocking periods in the city's history, as first 22-year-old Sam Rimmer, then 28-year-old Ashley Dale and finally nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel were killed in Liverpool - following a 13 month hiatus in fatal shootings.
All three murders are believed to be linked to organised criminal groups, and Merseyside Police have both been faced with complex and difficult murder investigations as well as an increase in disruption activity designed to tackle drugs gangs.
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After a few weeks of relative calm, we have seen another couple of horrendous firearms incidents including the murder of 53-year-old Jackie Rutter in Moreton, Wirral on October 30 and the non-fatal shooting of two men in Litherland on Bonfire Night.
Here's where each case stands.
Jackie Rutter
Nan of seven Jackie Rutter was shot dead near the door of her home in Meadowbank Road, Moreton, in the early hours of Sunday, October 30. Merseyside Police have said they are hunting three men who arrived at the scene in a black Vauxhall Insignia.
The attack has been described as targeted, and relatives have told the ECHO that threats had been made against the nan-of-five's family in the weeks prior to the murder.
So far three men, aged 24, 44, and 52, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and released on conditional bail.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Olivia was fatally wounded at around 10pm on August 22, when a man called Joseph Nee ran into her home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, while running for his life. Tragically, Nee was followed into the property by a masked gunman carrying two firearms.
The killer opened fire with a .38 calibre revolver, striking Olivia's mum Cheryl Korbel in the arm and hitting the schoolgirl in the chest. Nee was also shot with the second weapon, a 9mm semi-automatic Glock handgun. Neither weapon has yet been recovered.
So far charges have only been brought in Olivia's case. Thomas Cashman, 34, of Grenadier Drive in West Derby, has been charged with Olivia's murder as well as the attempted murders of Cheryl Korbel and Joseph Nee and two counts of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life.
Cashman has appeared in court but has not yet been asked to enter pleas to the charges. A provisional trial date has been set for March 6.
Ashley Dale
Knowsley Council worker Miss Dale is also believed to have been shot in her own by men targeting someone else. That atrocious crime came in the early hours of August 21 less than 48 hours before Olivia's death.
Ashley was in her house on Leinster Road, Old Swan, when a gunman burst through the front door and fired multiple shots "Indiscriminately" according to police. Ashley was hit in the abdomen and managed to move to her back yard, where she collapsed and died.
So far 12 people have been arrested, including four on suspicion of murder. All have since been bailed or released pending further investigation. Merseyside Police have not released details on the type of weapon used in the shooting.
Sam Rimmer
Mr Rimmer, known as "little man Sam" to friends, died on August 16 after being shot in Lavrock Bank, Dingle. He was with a group of friends who were involved in an altercation with two men on an electric bike who entered the close earlier in the evening.
A coroner's court heard that Mr Rimmer and his associates chased that bike away, but that the two riders then met up with two other men on a second electric bike and the four-strong group returned to the scene.
At that point, around 11.40pm, a shot was fired by one of the four bike riders which struck Mr Rimmer in the chest, fatally wounding him. Merseyside Police have not confirmed whether or not detectives believe Mr Rimmer was the intended target or if the gunmen were intending to hit his associates.
So far four men, aged between 17 and 23, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and released on bail. No-one has yet been charged.
Anyone with any information about the the cases above should send a direct message to Merseyside Police on Twitter @MerPolCC or on Facebook at Merseyside Police Contact Centre, call 101, or contact Crimestoppers UK anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the charity's online form here.
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