Family pay tribute to 'shining light' Ashley Dale, 28, who was shot dead in her garden
22 August 2022, 17:36 | Updated: 5 October 2023, 16:25
The family of Ashley Dale who was found shot dead in the back garden of a house in Liverpool have paid tribute to her as a "shining light".
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She was "a hard working young woman, who had her entire life ahead of her" and had "just been promoted at her job with Knowsley Council," the family said in a statement.
Ms Dale, they said, had "so many plans for her bright future that had only just begun."
Her "laugh, smile and energy was infectious in any room. We can't come to terms with how this would happen to a defenceless woman in her own home.
"None of this makes sense and our lives will never be the same again. A senseless crime that has torn a family apart."
At around 12.40am police were called to a house on Leinster Road in the Old Swan area of the city following reports of concern for the safety of a woman.
When they arrived they found her in the garden at the rear of the property having suffered gunshot wounds.
She later died in hospital, in the second fatal shooting in Liverpool this week.
Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen said Ms Dale was "an innocent member of the public" who was "callously and thoughtlessly shot".
He said police had not yet made an arrests in the case.
Her family said that Ms Dale was the half-sister of Lewis Dunne who was shot dead aged 16 in 2015 in a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Kameen urged the community to "come together" to find the perpetrator and said residents should feel "a sense of utter disgust, revulsion and shock" at Ms Dale's death.
He said: "This clearly was a very shocking incident which has led to the death of a young woman.
"I understand how frightening incidents like this can seem to ordinary members of the public and in the coming hours and days we will be speaking to people living in the local and wider community to reassure them of the ongoing work we are doing to find the person or people responsible.
"Gun crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and we will leave no stone unturned to bring those responsible for justice. An investigation is underway and a number of lines of enquiry are currently being investigated.
Mr Kameen added: "She was in her own house... and she has been callously and thoughtlessly shot by individuals who have no regard for anyone in our community, no regard for the law."
Detective Superintendent Mark Baker, speaking on Sunday, said: “This investigation is in the very early stages and while we understand the public will be very shocked and concerned by what has happened we have a number of officers at the scene who are carrying out extensive enquiries to understand what has taken place and take immediate action.
“A woman has tragically lost her life today and I want the public to be reassured that we will do everything we can to find who is responsible and bring them to justice."
Read more: Man dies after Liverpool shooting as police hunt suspects on e-bikes
Mr Baker added: "I would ask anyone who was in the area of Leinster Road in the early hours of this morning who saw or heard anything or thinks they have captured anything significant on their doorbell camera or dashcam to contact us as a matter of urgency as they may have information which is vital to our investigation.
"I would encourage anyone who has any other information which they believe could assist with our investigation to get in touch.
"I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a vehicle being driven erratically in the area around Prescot Road.”
On Tuesday, Sam Rimmer, 22, was shot dead on Lavrock Bank in Dingle with detectives hunting four people on electric bikes seen leaving the scene moments after the shooting.
At this time there is no suggestion that there is any link between the two murders.
Police asked for witnesses to share information and video footage directly with the investigation team via the police public portal - Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).
You can contact police via social media @MerPolCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873.
