The family of Michael Toohey, who was killed in Liverpool city centre on Saturday (April 16) hope that he can be remembered with a minute's applause at Sunday's (April 24) Merseyside Derby.
Michael, 18, was attacked outside an internet cafe on London Road shortly before 6pm on Saturday. Emergency services rushed to the scene and took Michael to the Royal Liverpool Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead.
Friends and family gathered on London Road and Monument Place on Tuesday (April 19) to remember Michael, as they released hundreds of balloons into the sky. Now, Michael's cousin Shaun Cahill hopes that fans at Anfield for the Merseyside Derby can come together to remember the 18-year-old with a minute's applause in the 19th minute of the match.
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Shaun, 22, told the ECHO : “As cousins, we grew up going to the footy together and watching games together. As this is Everton’s next fixture and he was an Everton supporter, I thought that a minute’s applause would be a nice gesture.
"The derby is on Sunday and I thought that it would bring the city together and get the message out there. We want to keep getting the message out there.
“It (a minute's applause) would mean a lot to a lot of us. He was a big Everton fan and I’ve got many happy memories of watching the game together. We would watch the derby in the Halfway House pub and they were good times.”
Liverpool Football Club have been approached for comment regarding the suggestion of a minute's applause.
A murder investigation into Michael's death i s ongoing and police are keen to speak to anyone who was in the London Road area at around 5.50pm on Saturday. A 34-year-old woman from Fazakerley was arrested on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender and taken into custody for questioning.
Earlier this week, Detective Chief Inspector Terry Davies said: “Although we have made an arrest our enquiries are still ongoing. This incident happened in a busy area of Liverpool City Centre on Saturday evening.
"We know there were a number of people stood at bus stops on London Road, walking past TJ Hughes or driving along London Road who may have witnessed this incident or a vehicle driving erratically at that time. I am keen to appeal to those people to come forward so we can speak to them. Similarly anybody who may have mobile phone footage or dash cam footage then please come forward."
Anyone with information on this incident can contact @MerPolCC, 101 or @CrimestoppersUK, anonymously on 0800 555 111 with reference 22000261976. Anyone with any footage, can upload this to be viewed by police via the following link to the NICE website
