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Mum of shot teen renews appeal on his birthday

Family handout Ellis is sat on a grey sofa with pink cushions. He has shoulder long hair tied back and is wearing a a black tshirt.Family handout
Ellis, pictured here on his 16th birthday, would have been celebrating turning 20

The mother of a 19-year-old man who was shot dead while making his way home through an industrial estate has renewed her appeal to catch his killer on what would have been his 20th birthday.

Ellis Cox was found injured with gun shot wounds at the Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree on Merseyside just after 22:10 BST on 23 June and died later in hospital.

Several people have been arrested in connection to the murder but no-one has been charged.

Ellis's mother Carolyn said the hunt to find her son's killer was "the only reason for me get up in the morning".

Ellis Cox's mother Carolyn is sat on a sofa with Det Ch Insp Steve McGrath to her right and and Julie O'Toole to her left. They are all looking at the camera. Carolyn has long blonde hair and Julie had mid length red hair. Both are wearing black hoodies with the writing "Who murdered Ellis Cox?" and a picture of Ellis. Det Ch Insp Steve McGrath is wearing a dark suit with a blue shirt and a navy blue tie with thin red stripes.
Ellis Cox's mother Carolyn (centre) with Det Ch Insp Steve McGrath and Mr Cox's aunt Julie O'Toole

Merseyside Police believe Mr Cox was shot with a self-loading pistol as he went through the industrial estate after going to Southport with friends.

His mum said he had called her shortly before and told her he would be "home in five minutes".

"I've got to keep going to find who took Ellis from us," Ms Cox told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"If we don't have this, there's no reason for me to get up in the morning.

"It's only this that gives me something.

"We just want to keep Ellis in the spotlight."

She described the family's first Christmas without her son as "very difficult".

"It just came and went for us," she said.

"It wasn't Christmas because Christmas was always for Ellis.

"No matter how old he got, we would still go into the living room together, do all our presents together, so it's never going to be the same without Ellis because he was the central focus for me at Christmas time."

Family handout Ellis is standing in front on a red brick wall. He has short hair and is wearing black hoodie with a lanyard around his neck.Family handout
Ellis Cox died in hospital after being shot at an industrial estate in Aintree in June

Ellis's aunt Julie O'Toole said the family continued to encourage people to speak out if they had any information.

"It just seems there's more and more of this going on where it's not okay to speak up," she said.

"We want to get across that this 'no grass culture' isn't welcome and silence isn't an option, whilst making sure that the children keep themselves safe."

Det Ch Insp Steve McGrath from Merseyside Police asked anybody with information to come forward.

"The family is still struggling in relation to Ellis' death, particularly Ellis's mum, and we want to do as much as we possibly can to help the family and hopefully get justice for Ellis," he said.

"I want to bring these offenders to justice."

In tribute to Mr Cox, Liverpool City Council will be lighting up the Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall in orange later.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.

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