Man and woman from Formby near Southport arrested in connection with murder of Ashley Dale

Police have arrested a man and a woman in Formby following the fatal shooting of Ashley Dale in Old Swan on Sunday morning (21 August).

Officers were called to an address in Leinster Road at around 12.40am following reports of concern for a woman at the property.

Emergency services attended and found Ashley Dale in the rear garden of the property with gunshot wounds to her body.

Paramedics provided CPR at the scene, and Ashley was taken to hospital but sadly died a short time later.

A cordon remains in the area whilst investigations continue and CCTV and forensic enquiries are being carried out in the local area.

Following enquiries, a man and a woman from Formby were arrested last night (Wednesday 24 August) and taken into custody for questioning.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and the woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. 

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said: "Our thoughts remain with Ashley Dale’s family and friends following this appalling incident which led to her tragic death.

“Our officers have now made two arrests last night. Enquiries continue to establish the motive behind this attack, and identify all those involved.

"This was a callous attack carried out on a residential street which has brought tragedy to the heart of a community in Merseyside, and we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring those responsible to justice.

“Although we have made two arrests we still need members of the public to come forward with information too so we can keep our streets safe.

“From extensive ongoing CCTV enquiries, Detectives know there were people walking close to the scene at the time of the offence. If this was you, please come forward as you may without realising hold vital information to assist this investigation.

“Similarly, I would ask taxi and delivery drivers if they were driving in the area between 12.20am and 12.40am and have dashcam footage please contact us.”

Please submit any information you have directly with our investigation team through our online portal: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk). This will make sure that your information is received and acted on as quickly as possible by detectives.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.