A woman shot dead at a Liverpool house was today described by colleagues as an "extremely popular" member of the Knowsley Council team.
Ashley Dale was confirmed as the victim of a shooting on Leinster Road in Old Swan. Emergency services scrambled to the back garden of a house after reports of concerns for the safety of a woman at around 12.40am on Sunday, August 21.
Merseyside Police confirmed today they believe the attack on the address was targeted but the 28-year-old Knowsley Council employee was not the intended target. Ashley was found with gunshot wounds at the scene and despite receiving treatment was confirmed dead at hospital.
READ MORE: Woman, 28, shot dead in garden 'was not intended target'
She was described as "beautiful" and lovely by ECHO readers, with one adding "what a waste of a clearly beautiful life she was living". Now her employer, Knowsley Council, has called her "extremely popular" and extended their condolences to her family.
Mike Harden, chief executive at Knowsley Council, said: "Everyone at Knowsley Council is extremely saddened at the news of Ashley's untimely and tragic death. Ashley will be a big loss to her team and the wider council as well as those Knowsley residents who she supported.
"She was extremely popular with everyone who she came into contact with. Ashley had worked at the council for almost five years and she was progressing well in her career having only recently secured a promotion within our environmental health team.
"Our thoughts and condolences are with Ashley's family, friends, and colleagues at this extremely sad time. We are offering support to colleagues who are understandably shocked and upset at this news."
In a police press conference this afternoon, Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: "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.
"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 their 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."
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