A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Sam Rimmer.
This morning, Merseyside police carried out raids linked to recent gun violence in the city. During the warrants, carried out at addresses across the L8 area, officers confirmed that they arrested a man, in his 20s, on suspicion of murdering the 22-year-old, from Bootle.
Detectives revealed this week that tip-offs from the community had been flowing in, after the murder of "little-man Sam." He was shot dead on Lavrock Bank at around 11.40pm on Tuesday, August 16, while he was out with a group of people.
READ MORE: Live updates as police raid homes linked to gun crime in city
Shots were fired in the street by four men, riding two bikes, believed to be electric bicycles. No-one else was hit, but Sam was struck in the chest and collapsed.
He was treated at the scene by paramedics and rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The shooting marked the first murder involving a firearm in Merseyside in more than a year, since the death of 26-year-old Patrick Boyle in Newway, Huyton, on July 1, 2021. Mr Boyle was shot twice in the chest by drug-dealer Rueben Murphy, who was last month jailed for life.
Since Sam's death, the city has been rocked by two other gun deaths in less than a week. On Sunday, August 21, Ashley Dale died after being shot in her own home by a gunman who burst through her front door on Leinster Road.
Police say the 28-year-old was not believed to have been the intended target of the shooter, although detectives think the gunman was targeting her address for unknown reasons. Just a day later, on Monday, August 22, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot in her own home as she hid behind her mother who opened the door after hearing a commotion.
Ms Kennedy said police believe a 35-year-old man was being chased in the area by a gunman who was firing at him, when Olivia was shot. She said: "The man being chased forced his way into Olivia's house and the offender ran in after him, firing a number of shots with complete disregard for Olivia and her family, who had no connection with the gunman or the man who forced his way in.
"Sadly, Olivia was fatally wounded when the gunman fired at the man who was trying to get into the house, and her mum also suffered a gunshot to her wrist. The 35-year-old man who had been chased suffered a number of gunshots to his upper body. Whilst Olivia lay dying, he was picked up by his friends, who took him to hospital."
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CCTV of car seen in road minutes before Ashley Dale was shot dead
