Children were “out playing” in a street in Croxteth moments before shots were fired, according to terrifed residents.
A police cordon on Kynance Road was lifted on Thursday morning, July 28, after reports of gunshots the previous evening. People living on the street could be seen nervously looking out of their windows as police officers made door-to-door enquiries.
One person living on the street said the presence of the police cordon had been like "living in lockdown again". The area became notably busier with dog walkers later in the day as people appeared to become more confident to leave their homes.
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An eyewitness said children were "playing out" in the street when the incident happened. They told The ECHO : "Lads on motorbikes fired them (the shots) and all kids were out playing."
Another resident who heard the shots being fired on Wednesday evening said: “When it happened it was just like a normal evening during the school holidays. So kids were playing out and that kind of thing. Someone definitely could have been really hurt.”
Detectives said it was believed there were three men wearing dark clothing and riding bikes in the street at the time. The men were seen driving off on the bikes towards Parkview Road.
George, who has lived locally for around 30 years, said Croxteth had been increasingly blighted by gun crime in recent years, including another shooting that had left two bullet holes in a door.
He said: "We had a spell with drug problems about 30 years ago, it then quietened down quite a lot but it’s all over the country now - especially in Liverpool as there's been a few shootings recently."
Merseyside police had rushed to the road at around 6.37pm on Wednesday, July 28, after reports a gun had been fired in the street. Once at the scene, officers found no reports of anyone being injured or any damage being caused.
Around a dozen police vehicles, including patrol cars, matrix and armed police, arrived at the scene as the road was sealed off. A cordon remained in place until around 11am on Thursday, as forensic investigations took place.
Detective Chief Inspector Cat Walsh said: "The investigation is in the very early stages as we seek to establish what has taken place. I am appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Kynance Road, Parkview Road and Willow Way at around 6.30pm who may have seen or heard anything suspicious to contact us.
"I am also urging people to check CCTV or dashcam for any footage that may have captured the incident or which could assist with the investigation and get in touch. At this stage it does not appear anyone has been injured but recklessly firing a gun in a residential street could obviously have serious if not fatal consequences and it is vital that we find the person or people responsible and bring them to justice.”
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