Shots were fired in Merseyside in a suspected targeted attack ‘as a young girl played in the front garden’ of a neighbouring property.
Police confirmed they were called to reports of shots being fired by a bearded male wearing a camouflage jacket in William Henry Street, Bootle, just after 5.50pm on Friday.
Officers attended and found damage to the front wall of the property.
No-one was injured during the incident, but a resident said ‘a little girl was in one of the front gardens when they fired the gun’, reports Liverpool Echo.
A resident, who asked not to be named, told the outlet when they got home, detectives were already on the street.
‘A little girl was in one of the front gardens when they fired the gun. No one was hurt,’ they said.
A man living on William Henry Street told Metro they saw the police tape on the street on Saturday morning, but they didn’t know what had happened.
A resident on nearby Derby Road said she was ‘so shocked.’
She told the Echo: ‘I’m so shocked, I was in most of the afternoon and heard nothing. I have been living here for 15 years and never seen anything like this on the road before.’
Merseyside Police said Crime Scene Investigators have been examining the scene and making house-to-house enquiries.
Visibility patrols have also been stepped up in the area, it added.
Detective Inspector Keith Swift said: ‘An investigation into the full circumstances of this incident is ongoing, however, we do believe it was a targeted attack.
‘I would appeal to anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area around Owen Road shortly before, or after the incident, to contact us. Information they have could be vital.”
Anyone with information can direct message on social media via @merpolcc, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting reference 0788 of 4 April.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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