Knowsley shootings: Police name suspects as hunt for gun continues

Merseyside Police have issued a fresh update on the five men arrested following two shootings on residential streets in Knowsley on Tuesday.

Shots were fired at a house on Paxton Road, Huyton, at 1.25pm, and more shots hit homes on Shaw Lane, Prescot, less than 30 minutes later. Two properties were damaged in the attacks, but there were no reported injuries.

Two males were seen on a motorbike on both streets prior to the shootings and detectives believe that the incidents are linked.

Five men, who are all from the Huyton and Kirkby areas, were arrested in St Helens on Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm. One man has been recalled to prison and two others are due in court on Thursday.

• Owen Jameson, 19, of Primrose Drive, Huyton, has been recalled to prison after he was found to have breached his licence conditions.
• Andrew Rathbone, 25, of Pinfold Crescent, Kirkby, and Liam Higham, 20, of Ashfield Crescent, Kirkby, have been charged with breaching court bail conditions and they have both been remanded in custody to appear at Wirral Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
• The other two men, aged 19 and 25, have been released on conditional bail pending further enquiries.

No gun has been found at this stage, but enquiries are ongoing. A section 60 order, which gives officers enhanced stop and search powers, was introduced in the Prescot area on Tuesday evening.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul McVeigh said: “Although we have made five arrests following the reported shootings, we are still appealing for information as we continue with the early stages of the investigation. To open fire in residential areas in the middle of the day is extremely reckless and will not be tolerated in Merseyside.”

Superintendent for Knowsley Karl Baldwin said: “I understand the concern that gun crime causes, particularly during such a poignant week when we mark the one-year anniversaries of the murders of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

“We have all seen the devastation that gun crime can bring to innocent families and how lives can be shattered by gun violence. We are determined to take guns off the streets of Merseyside and will relentlessly pursue anyone we suspect of being involved in gun crime.

“Those that use firearms, or participate in gang violence, are a blight on our community. They cause misery and have no respect for the innocent people they put in harm’s way. We will act on any information that you provide. If you have any information about the incidents on Paxton Road or Shaw Lane, please come forward.”

Contact Police: If you have any CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage, or any information about this incident please DM our social media desk on Twitter @Merseypolice, or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ quoting reference 23000756551. Alternatively you can call the independent @CrimestoppersUK hotline anonymously on 0800 555 111.