On August 16, 2022, a 13 month long hiatus in fatal shootings in Merseyside was shattered with the murder of Sam Rimmer.
The 22-year-old was struck by a bullet from a Skorpion sub-machine gun while visiting a friend in Lavrock Bank, Dingle, fired by one of four men on two electric bikes who had been "hunting" for members of a rival gang.
No-one had realistically expected the welcome gap in fatal shootings to last forever, but equally no-one expected what happened next. Within the space of six days, two more innocent victims had been gunned down as part of feuds that had nothing to do with them.
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On August 21, 28-year-old environmental health officer Ashley Dale was shot in her Old Swan home, again with a Skorpion, by 41-year-old James Witham who had been sent to kill her boyfriend, Lee Harrison. The following day, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was struck by a bullet fired through the front door of her home by local gang thug Thomas Cashman in Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot.
Before the year was out, two other entirely unrelated gun murders had taken place over the water, with the execution style killing of 53-year-old grandmother Jacqui Rutter at her home in Moreton and the Christmas Eve shooting of Elle Edwards in Wallasey Village – that one the third involving a Skorpion sub-machine gun.
While justice has been served in the cases of Olivia, Elle and Ashley, no-one has yet been charged in connection with the murders of Sam or Jacqui.
As this year comes to an end, however, things could not look more different to the picture on January 1. Elle Edwards's death, at the hands of Woodchurch estate drug-dealer Connor Chapman, remains the last fatal shooting in Merseyside 12 months later.
Perhaps even more telling, the overall number of firearms discharges – including offences where nobody was injured – is at the lowest since records began according to Merseyside Police. The number of shootings stands at 22 this year, down from 49 in 2022 – a figure which itself was around 50% lower than in 2012.
On the one hand, some could suggest the huge amount of focus on organised crime and extra resources made available to the force after the horrors of 2022 would naturally produce a tangible reduction in gun crime.
However, these reductions are part of a long term trend stretching back to around 2019, making the cluster of fatalities in 2022 even more difficult to explain.
Detective Inspector Peter McCollough told the ECHO: “Merseyside Police worked tirelessly across 2023 to reduce the number of firearms incidents on our streets and we will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those involved in serious organised crime.
“Indeed, 2023 was the lowest number of firearms incidents in Merseyside since record began, but this is a culmination of the work carried out year after year and we have seen continued reductions since 2019. This has contributed to no one being killed as a result of a firearm discharge in 2023 and illustrates how we are determined to rid our communities of dangerous weapons that cause misery for local people."
Det. Insp. McCollough said that January 2023 marked the first calendar month when the force area recorded no shootings since records began. This was then repeated for the months of June and September.
He said: “However, we simply cannot and will not be complacent and we are determined to reduce this figure even more in 2024. One firearm discharged on our streets is one too many and sadly in 2022 we saw the pain and suffering of five families who lost their loved ones as result of gun crime."
While this is all undoubtedly extremely positive news, the city has seen its fair share of serious gun offences this year, including a number of people wounded including in Speke, Huyton, Wavertree and Norris Green.
The lessons of 2022 are stark – any time a gun is fired in anger in a residential street by untrained, reckless criminals the potential for a bullet to find its way to an unintended target is clear and present.
Det. Insp. McCollough said: “My message to those involved in gun crime and serious organised crime is clear – Merseyside Police will never rest, we are relentless in our pursuit of those involved.
Merseyside Police will proactively tackle issues that matter most to our residents and keep our streets safe. This supports the work we do every day of the year to tackle those involved in serious organised crime. Information from the public is vital if we are to breakdown the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets and I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.
“I completely understand that speaking up could be daunting, but when people are willing to support the police we will ensure every possible avenue is progressed to protect them. We saw in 2023 the sentences for Thomas Cashman (life sentence with a minimum term of 42 years) and Connor Chapman (life sentence with minimum term of 48 years) for the murders of Olivia and Elle.
“Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz, Joseph Peers and James Witham were also jailed for a combined 173 years for their role in the murder of Ashley Dale. This illustrates how information from the community can lead to successful prosecutions and how the community can help us put dangerous offenders behind bars.
“And if you don’t feel comfortable coming directly to the police you can call the independent, anonymous, Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111, we need to know who is involved in gun crime and where those guns are being stored.”
Merseyside Police said information from the public is vital to the success of the ongoing work and anyone who has information about firearms or drug dealing in their community can direct message the force on @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook or call 101
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