Elle Edwards may have been ‘caught in crossfire’ between rival gangs in pub shooting

Elle Edwards (26), was shot in the head at the Lighthouse Inn pub in Wallasey Village, Merseyside and died as a result of her injuries.

Police have said that the beautician was not believed to have been the intended target of the shooting.

Four other men were also injured in the attack, one of whom is said to be in a “critical condition” in hospital.

Police have arrested a man (30) and a 19-year-old woman in relation to the incident.

Last night, Merseyside’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said those behind the killing “deserve to see every Christmas from behind bars”.

“Elle was doing what any member of the community should be able to do on Christmas Eve – simply enjoying herself with friends and her sister and celebrating the festivities,” she said.

“As a mum of two girls, who are a similar age to Elle, I can't begin to comprehend what they are going through right now, but I do know that they will carry the heavy loss of Elle for the rest of their lives and there will always be a major part of their lives missing.”

She continued: “Detectives are continuing their investigations and they will be relentless in their work to establish what led up to the incident on Christmas Eve and who was responsible for this sickening and heart-breaking incident, which has ruined so many lives and culminated in the loss of a beautiful young woman.

“On Christmas Day morning I went out to Wallasey Village to speak to officers and members of the public and I witnessed first-hand the devastating impact this has had on people in Wallasey Village.

“The use of firearms, violence and intimidation has no place in our communities, and sadly we often see firearms being used to resolve petty and pathetic issues.

'These people are cowards, who think the only way to resolve an argument is through violence, they don't have the strength or resolve to work things out and stop things from reaching such an ugly and devastating conclusion.”

She added: “Anyone involved in arranging this shooting, pulling the trigger and supplying the gun deserves to see every Christmas from behind bars.

“We will be relentless in our commitment to find justice for Elle and her family.”

Elle’s friends Meg and Jess previously told Sky News that they were enjoying a night out when they heard gunshots shortly after 11.50pm.

Meg said before the attack Elle was “just so happy”.

“We were all having so much fun. It plays on your mind, knowing whether she should have gone home. We had been dancing and singing and now she’s on the floor.

“I’ve got videos of us all I can’t stop watching. We were so happy. It happened so fast. I can’t get it out of my head. I wish we could have done more, but there was nothing else we could have done.”

“We went to go get a drink and we were at the bar and we just heard bangs,” Jess said.

“The second I heard Elle, I was like ‘it’s not, it’s not, it’s not.’ I could see her on the floor, people around her trying to help her. You just feel hopeless, you can’t help, you can’t do anything.”

Meg added: “We thought it was fireworks, with it being Christmas within in ten minutes. At the time it was close to midnight.”