Suspect arrested after Liverpool cinema attack, following armed hunt for gunman
4 January 2024, 05:42 | Updated: 4 January 2024, 07:10
A 49-year-old man has been arrested in Liverpool after a gunman opened fire three times in the city on Wednesday night, leading to a hunt by armed police.
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Merseyside Police said they received a report of three separate shootings in the Croxteth and Norris Green areas of Liverpool on Wednesday night. No one was injured in any of the incidents.
A shot was fired at the Sangha off licence in Lower House Lane at about 8.30pm. A man had come in, threatened the shop assistant and demanded cash. He left empty-handed, leaving the shop worker very upset but physically unharmed.
At 8.50pm, an armed man was said to have come into Showcase Cinema on East Lancashire Road - about a mile from the off licence. He threatened staff and opened fire outside in the car park before leaving.
A further shot was also reported at a property on Malpas Road at around 10.20pm, close to both previous incidents.
A 49-year-old man was arrested in Fazakerley, an area slightly to the north of the three shootings, at around 4.46am on Thursday.
Officers said the man was aggressive and that they Tasered him. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and robbery.
Read more: Four men jailed for life for murder of Ashley Dale in Liverpool
Police said the attacks were not terror-related, but it was still being treated as a major incident.
The scenes were cordoned off, with a police presence on Wednesday night. Police asked for anyone with information to call 999.
Assistant Chief Constable Jenn Wilson said on Thursday: “I can report that a 49-year-old man has been arrested following three firearms discharges in the Croxteth and Norris Green areas last night.
"Thankfully incidents like this, involving a single offender in three separate shootings in close proximity and quick succession, are extremely rare and this is the first time we have had to deal with an incident of this nature on the streets of Merseyside.
“The shocking and distressing impact these incidents will have had on the shop assistant, the staff at the Showcase Cinema and those filmgoers who found themselves in a lockdown situation in the complex after shots were fired outside the cinema and the residents of Malpas Road cannot be underestimated.
“Officers were on the ground immediately following the first incident and were able to respond swiftly to the subsequent discharges, and a male was identified. located and arrested on suspicion of all three discharges within 13 hours.
“High visibility patrols will remain in the area to reassure members of the local community.
