1 dead, 3 wounded in UK pub shooting on Christmas Eve
- Police are investigating the shooting – with a woman killed and three men injured – as a murder case and have not detained any suspects
- Gun violence is comparatively rare in Britain, where most police officers do not carry guns
A Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England killed a young woman and wounded three men, police said on Sunday.
The Merseyside Police force said it was investigating the 11.50pm Saturday shooting at the Lighthouse pub in the town of Wallasey as a murder case. Police have not detained any suspects.
“This investigation is in the very early stages, and we understand that this is a truly shocking and devastating incident that has happened just before Christmas Day in a busy venue full of young people,” Detective Superintendent David McCaughrean said.
The woman died at a hospital “with an injury consistent with a gunshot wound”, the police force said in a statement. Along with the three men wounded, several people were injured, according to the statement.
Investigators were seeking witnesses as well as cellphone video and closed circuit television footage to figure out what happened, McCaughrean said.
“We believe that the gunman left the pub car park in a dark coloured vehicle, possibly a dark coloured Mercedes shortly after the shooting, and we are keen to hear from anyone who saw this to contact us immediately,” he said.
The minister of a nearby church told Britain’s Press Association (PA) news agency that the shooting will come as a shock to local residents because of where the pub is located.