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.

In an Instagram post, her 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.

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.

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

Ahead of Christmas morning services, Jeffrey Hughes, minister of the United Reformed Church in Wallasey Village, said: “We’ve got a lot of young people, families in that area.

“When we first heard the news this morning that there’d been a shooting in Wallasey, Wallasey Village is the last place you would think of.”

Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

If you are reading this page and can’t see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk