Wallasey pub shooting: Christmas Eve attack victim named

The woman who died in a shooting at a Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve has been named as Elle Edwards.

The 26-year-old beautician was with her sister and friends at The Lighthouse in Wallasey when she was shot in the head.

Four men were also wounded - one critically - but Ms Edwards is not believed to have been the intended target, Merseyside Police said.

Officers continue to hunt for the gunman who fled in a dark-coloured car, believed to be a Mercedes.

Ms Edwards' family laid flowers at the scene of the shooting earlier.

A heart-shaped plaque, bearing a pink and green floral design, read: "Special Daughter, the happiness you brought in your own special way, will be remembered with love each and every day."

Speaking to Sky News outside The Lighthouse, one of Ms Edwards' friends, called Jess, said people initially thought they had heard fireworks when the shooting started.

"But automatically everything just stopped and we had a feeling that something wasn't right," she said.

She said she felt "numb" when she saw her friend on the floor, with people trying to help her, and paid tribute to the "funny" beautician.

"There was never a time when we've been out that we've not had a ball," Jess added.

In an Instagram post, Ms Edwards' colleagues at Nova Hair and Beauty Studio in Moreton, Wirral, said they were "absolutely lost for words".

They wrote: "Heaven gained the most beautiful angel, we are all heartbroken, thinking of your family right now Elle.

"Thank you for all the laughs and happiness you brought into our lives, rest in paradise angel, love from all your team."

Several shots were fired at the entrance to the pub, which was packed with mainly young people, at about 23:50 GMT on Saturday.

Ms Edwards was rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital where she was pronounced dead, Merseyside Police said.

A 28-year-old man, from Beechwood, Wirral, was also injured and remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Three other men, aged 22, 24 and 33, were shot but their wounds are not thought to be life-threatening.

Merseyside Police tweeted that it had stepped up its presence in the area "in a direct response" to the shooting.

Peter Rexwinkel, Community Policing Inspector for Wirral, said: "This police operation is an on-going disruption to target criminals involved in serious and organised crime in Wirral.

"We received positive feedback from residents in these communities about the proactive police work being carried out to tackle crime, and our officers have been chatting to residents about community issues which they might not have told us about."

Det Supt Sue Coombs, of Merseyside Police, said: "No family should have to be faced with this ordeal at any time but at Christmas, which should be a time of peace and celebration, it makes it so much harder to bear."

She described the shooting as "callous and cold blooded" and vowed: "We will not rest until we find the people responsible.

"Our investigation will rely heavily on information we receive from the public and I urge members of the local community, who have any information which could help us, to get in touch."

The attack follows other high-profile shootings on Merseyside in the past year including the death of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was killed when a gunman chased a man into her home in Liverpool in August.

She died a day after council worker Ashley Dale who was fatally shot in her back garden. The 28-year-old was not believed to have been the intended target of the attack.

Their deaths followed a few days after 22-year-old Sam Rimmer died when shots were fired at him and his friends by people on electric bikes.

Dame Angela Eagle, MP for Wallasey, told BBC Radio 4's PM: "Everybody is really shocked and devastated that somebody should have lost their life in this violent way, literally minutes before the start of Christmas when they were out with their friends and family, enjoying a pre-Christmas social occasion.

"It seems so senseless and pointless, and deeply, deeply shocking.

"I think that's what most people feel - they can't believe it's happened in an area like Wallasey village, a quiet, residential kind of area."

She said: "We know that for many years there's been a serious and organised crime issue with firearms involved over the river (in Liverpool).

"It hasn't really impinged on the Wirral side of the River Mersey - and there's no proof or evidence at the moment that what happened in Wallasey Village is actually related to any of the gangs in Liverpool."

She added: "It's really, really important, if you have any information that might lead to the conviction of someone who has been so reckless, please come forward and tell the police what you know."

The recent shootings led to the government allocating £350,000 for the roll-out of a pilot scheme across Merseyside to cut gun and knife crime.

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