A primary school pupil has become the latest victim of gun violence in Merseyside after she was fatally shot in the chest in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Her death is the latest in a spate of violence to hit the area of northwest England this summer.
It comes almost 15 years to the day after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead by a 16-year-old gang member who was aiming at a rival gang.
More than 30 incidents involving a weapon – either a firearm, a knife, and in one case, a crossbow – took place in Merseyside in the summer months of June, July, and August.
However, these are only the incidents published by the police, so the true tally could be much higher.
6 June
Shots are fired at the wall and door of a house in Kirkby. There are no reports of anyone being injured, and two men are later arrested.
Family pay tribute to ‘shining light’ Ashley Dale who was shot dead in Liverpool
Government to take more control of Liverpool City Council after report finds £100m budget shortfall
Ava White: Teenage boy sentenced to minimum of 13 years for murdering 12-year-old girl
7 June
Four men in dark clothing with their faces covered are seen chasing one another on a bike and scooter when a shot is fired in Wavertree.
There are no reports of any injuries, but a man is arrested.
8 June
Shots are heard in Woodchurch, with three men running into a pub on Arrowe Park Road shouting that they had been fired at.
In a separate incident, a firearm is found hidden in a pair of trousers near the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.
14 June
A man is stabbed in the face and leg near shops on Finch Lane.
17 June
Two men are stabbed following an altercation between three men outside Yates’ Wine Lodge on Queens Square.
Emergency services attend and two men are taken to hospital with stab wounds to their chest and stomach.
An 18-year-old man is later arrested.
18 June
A 16-year-old is charged after a firearm is recovered in Old Swan.
21 June
Shots are fired in the Everton Brow area at around 10.30pm.
At about 10.45pm, a 16-year-old male self-presents at the Royal Liverpool Hospital with gunshot wounds. It is reported that he was dropped off at hospital on an electric bike, which made off on Prescot Road.
In a separate incident, two shotguns are found hidden on an abandoned allotment in Sefton.
24 June
Police are called to reports a man is firing a crossbow on Celia Street. The 54-year-old is arrested.
29 June
A 19-year-old man is stabbed in the leg during a fight involving a group of men on Smithdown Road, Wavertree.
He is taken to hospital and later released. An 18-year-old man is later arrested.
2 July
A man is shot in the legs by another man on Croxdale Rad West.
The 23-year-old victim arrives at hospital at about 5.10pm with gunshot wounds to his legs and back after being dropped off in a vehicle, which then left the area.
5 July
A man in his 50s is stabbed in the chest and stomach in New Brighton.
A 53-year-old man is later arrested.
12 July
Contractors find a firearm under a couch at a substation in Clubmoor.
13 July
Shots are fired towards a house in Knotty Ash.
Two men are seen on a scrambler bike, leaving the scene.
17 July
Three men are arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm in Southport.
Police spot one man throwing a gun into a nearby lake.
18 July
A shot is fired at a house in Walton in the early hours.
19 July
Police reveal eight firearms are found in Merseyside gardens by unwitting members of the public in the last six months.
Residents have found the weapons hidden in their gardens as criminals use their properties to stash them.
27 July
A murder investigation is launched after a man is found in a house in Anfield with serious injuries.
On the same day, police appeal for information following reports a gun was fired in the Croxteth area.
28 July
A man is stabbed in the arm in Gwladys Street, Walton.
It is believed the injured victim was involved in an altercation earlier in the day with another man.
31 July
A man is shot in the leg in the car park of the Golden Lion pub on Church Road.
It is reported that two male suspects wearing dark clothing entered the pub grounds on an electric bike, and left on the same bike a short time later.
The victim was taken to hospital but later discharged.
6 August
A man is stabbed at the Vine Tavern on Elephant Lane, Thatto Heath, at about 8.55pm.
When police arrive the man was being treated by paramedics for stab wounds to his arms, chest and head. It is believed that two offenders, one armed with a knife, were involved in the attack.
A 19-year-old man is later arrested.
8 August
Shots are fired from a dark-coloured car parked on Finch Way in the direction of a man on an electric bike.
There are no reports anyone is injured.
9 August
Police officers on patrol on Thirlmere Road at about 1.10am are threatened by a man wearing a balaclava. He points a gun at them before running off.
It is reported that the man also threatened the occupants of a car with a gun.
10 August
Shots are fired in the direction of a house on Danger Lane. Four offenders on two motorbikes then left the area.
There are no reports of anyone being injured.
A man is later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
15 August
Two men are arrested after a man is stabbed in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of the morning.
The 25-year-old is found on Seymour Street with stab wounds to his body and a fractured jaw.
16 August
A man in his 20s is shot dead on Lavrock Bank, just streets away from where Liam Kelly was killed in June 2004.
Police are still searching for two people who fled on electric bikes following the shooting.
21 August
Ashley Dale, 28, is found with gunshot wounds in her garden in the Old Swan area of Liverpool.
The Knowsley Council worker’s family condemn the killing as a “senseless crime” as officers made house-to-house inquiries.
22 August
A woman in her 50s is fatally stabbed outside Brambles Pub on Cherryfield Drive following reports of an altercation.
Two men in their 30s are arrested on suspicion of murder.
23 August
A nine-year-old girl is fatally shot.
Officers attend a house on Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, at 10pm following reports an unknown male had fired a gun inside the property.
