Elle Edwards: Man charged with murder of beautician in Christmas Eve pub shooting

Detectives have charged a man with the murder of Elle Edwards, who was fatally shot at a busy pub in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve.

Connor Chapman, 22, of Houghton Road, Woodchurch, will appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court on Friday, 13 January. He has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Ms Edwards, a 26-year-old beautician, was shot in the head just before midnight on December 24 when a gunman opened fire outside the entrance to The Lighthouse pub.

She was rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead. Police do not believe Ms Edwards was the intended target of the attack. Four men also suffered gunshot wounds during the incident and were treated in hospital for their injuries.

Mr Chapman has also been charged with three counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life and handling stolen goods, namely a Mercedes A Class.

A 23-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has been released on bail as the murder investigation continues.

What happened on Christmas Eve?

At around 11.50pm on Saturday, December 24, Ms Edwards was laughing, joking and dancing with friends when several shots were fired at the entrance to the packed Lighthouse pub.

One friend said people initially thought it was fireworks. “But automatically everything just stopped and we had a feeling that something wasn’t right,” she told Sky News.

Ms Edwards was hit in the head and rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Four men also suffered gunshot wounds during the attack: a 28-year-old man from Beechwood, Wirral, was hit in the body; a 22-year-old man from Beechwood suffered injuries to his legs; a 24-year-old man from Wallasey suffered an injury to his hand and a 33-year-old man suffered an injury to his wrist.

Ms Edwards was not the intended target of the gunman’s attack and police began by investigating any ongoing disagreements between local gangs - possibly drugs related.

A dark coloured Mercedes A-class car was spotted in The Lighthouse car park before the shooting, which the gunman used to make a getaway.

Family tribute to Elle Edwards

The father of Ms Edwards, Tim Edwards, issued a moving tribute to his daughter six days after her death.

“There was no one as beautiful as our Elle May, her looks, her laugh and the way she would light up a room as soon as she walked in,” the family said in a statement.

“She had this way about her that as soon as you met her you just instantly fell in love with her, everyone that met Elle knew how special she was.

“Her laugh was infectious. Anyone who was around her had a good time, she loved her life and had so many amazing plans for the future. She was only just getting started.

“Christmas and our family will never be the same again without her. She was the glue that held this big family together, from all of us.

“We will love and miss her forever. Our Elle May, the most beautiful and bright star out there, forever and always. My beautiful Elle Marlene is the love of my life and she is my world, my best friend. She will always shine and be beautiful and bright, my Elle has never gone.”