CCTV footage could provide vital clues to assist hunting the killer of a man shot dead in Liverpool, police have said.
Thomas Baker was shot near the meat and fish market in the Old Swan area of the city on Friday.
Officers were called at about 8.15am and provided first aid to Baker before an ambulance crew took him to hospital. He was treated for injuries to his head and chest, before being pronounced dead.
Baker, 44, was found injured at the market on Prescot Road. Police are now saying CCTV in the area could help detectives identify the killer.
Officers are likely to request data from businesses operating in and around the complex. Images from cameras located on the market and overlooking the car park exit – through which the gunman is thought to have fled – could be crucial to the investigation.
Merseyside police retained a heavy presence at the murder scene throughout Saturday.
Baker, from Everton, was shot outside a gym near the meat market. A postmortem confirmed he died as a result of gunshot injuries.
A swath of the market’s car park remained cordoned off on day two of the inquiry. By mid-afternoon, four police vans – including several from the force’s anti-gun and gang crime Matrix squad – and three squad cars were still based around the cordon.
Baker was shot as he left Phoenix gym, with detectives believing he was attacked by a man lying in wait. The killer is thought to have been in a small grey car parked alongside Baker’s black BMW. He fled the market in the car, turning on to Prescot Road and heading in the direction of Liverpool city centre.
Detectives continue to appeal to the public for information on the incident, the fifth shooting in Merseyside this month.
DS Mark Guinness said: “My message to those involved in gun crime is clear: Merseyside police is steadfast in its commitment to tackling gun crime … But we can’t do this alone. Communities need to take a stand and help us to make the streets safer.”
