Inside escalating drug gang war that sparked chilling warning days before Elle Edwards was shot dead | The Sun

IN the days leading up to the cold blooded killing of beautician Elle Edwards on Christmas Eve, police warned a gang war in Merseyside was spiralling out of control.

A spate of shootings in the region have left a string of innocent bystanders dead as violence rips apart communities.

Among them: tragic Olivia Pratt Korbel, nine, killed when a gunman burst into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, and opened fire at convicted burglar Joseph Nee.

Ashley Dale, 28, an environmental health officer and mechanic Sam Rimmer, 22, were killed in the same week as Olivia in August amid an explosion of gun violence.

And then on October 30, Jackie Rutter, a 53-year-old grandmother, was gunned down at home in Moreton, Wirral.

Amid the horrors the government allocated £500,000 of funding to tackle gun violence in the region.

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The killings are the result of a gun epidemic on both sides of the River Mersey which claimed its fifth victim on Christmas Eve.

Innocent Elle, 26, died in hospital after a gunman opened fire at revellers outside the Lighthouse Inn, in Wallasey Village.

The beautician's death came just two days after a senior Merseyside Police officer warned Wirral gangs had become increasingly brazen in their attacks.

Alan McKeon, a local community policing inspector, warned violence between Woodchurch Organised Crime Group (OGC) and Ford OGC was a "top three" threat to public safety.

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He told the Wirral Globe how in just three years, the drug dealing gangsters had become more willing to use firearms to deal with "factional disputes".

DAYLIGHT GUN BATTLES

One incident saw a daylight gun battle explode when thugs from Woodchurch OGC ambushed their enemies in a drive-by shooting on Hoole Road, on March 22.

The attack left one man with life-changing injuries.

Mr McKeon warned: “There are just absolutely innocent people who get caught in the crossfire of these people.”

But just two days later, at around 11.50pm, as Elle Edwards was "singing and dancing" with family and friends, gun shots rung out.

She was struck in the head by one of possibly 12 shots – four other men were injured.

Revellers performed CPR before paramedics arrived but Elle died soon after at Arrowe Park Hospital.

One man is still in a critical condition in hospital following the Christmas Eve.

There is no suggestion either Woodchurch OGC or Ford OGC were behind Elle's death.

Getting hold of firearms in Merseyside is easier than elsewhere thanks to an arms trade between Ireland and the Port of Liverpool.

This is thanks to a legacy of gun trafficking from the Emerald Isle stretching back to the Troubles.

Recently, the city’s drug gangs have built links with suppliers in the Netherlands, and factories across the North West can convert low-calibre weapons into deadly automatics.

There were 211 firearm offences recorded in the region for 2021-22, up from 140 the previous year.

LIVES TORN APART

On Monday Elle's broken family laid floral tributes outside the pub she was killed.

Her parents' tribute read: "To my beautiful Elle, you are the light of my life you will never be gone, Mum and Dad xxxx."

And a heart shaped plaque alongside photos of Elle read: "Special daughter, the happiness you brought, in your own special way, will be remembered with love each and everyday."

Police continue to question a man, 30, from Tranmere, Wirral, who is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

And a woman, 19, from Rock Ferry, Wirral, was held on suspicion of cons­piracy to murder.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of Merseyside Police blasted the "cowards" behind Elle's killing and vowed to find them.

In a statement on Tuesday night, she slammed: "These people… think the only way to resolve an argument is through violence.

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"Anyone involved in arranging this shooting, pulling the trigger and supplying the gun deserves to see every Christmas behind bars."

It comes as The Sun revealed how the killer may have had a tip off about a rival drinking at the pub where Elle was killed.

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