Police descended on Bootle after shots were fired from a handgun in broad daylight
Police at the scene on Stanley Road, Bootle on Monday evening
People ran into a busy Bootle street ‘screaming’ after a gunman opened fire on Monday evening. Merseyside Police were called to Stanley Road, at the junction with Balliol Road, shortly before 5pm today, September 7, following reports a man riding an e-bike had fired shots from a handgun.
There are currently no reports of anyone being injured, but police said damage had been caused to a property. A large police cordon was put in place around Stanley Road, with access restricted at its junctions with Merton Road and Balliol Road.
Several police vehicles and officers were seen inside the cordon, while forensic teams later attended the scene and appeared to concentrate their work around the area of a bus stop.
One witness who was driving along Stanley Road at the time told the ECHO they heard what sounded like two gunshots. They said they noticed a car around 20 metres ahead suddenly stop before reversing back towards them.
The witness said: “At that point, I didn’t know what was going on so I just waited behind for a second. What sounded like two gunshots were then fired. It was really loud; two bangs.
A bus sits trapped inside the Stanley Road cordon as officers work
“Two people, I don’t know whether they were male or female, on big black bikes like e-bikes, whizzed off around the corner.
“About 20 seconds later, a guy came out of Swift’s pub holding a brick, with two other girls. He looked like he was looking for somebody.
“He and the girls were shouting. By this point, everyone had come out of the shops.
“People were everywhere, screaming on the street. I didn’t really know what was going on.”
Armed officers remain in the area and detectives are carrying out CCTV and witness enquiries.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Saidi-Bidokhti said: “We are in the very early stages of an investigation and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed what happened or has any information which could help us with our enquiries to come forward.
Forensic officers working inside the police cordon on Stanley Road
“I would also like to appeal to anyone who lives in the area, who has CCTV footage or Ring doorbell, that may have captured the incident to get in touch.
“We are relentless in our pursuit of such offenders who carry dangerous weapons in our community and urge anyone who has any information to contact us so we can find those responsible.”
If you have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage or information about this incident, please contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.
You can also report information via the force’s website: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call with log number 745 of 7 September.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.