DOUBLE TRAGEDY
A WOMAN who was shot dead in her garden was not the intended target of the attack, police believe.
Ashley Dale, 28, was murdered when thugs burst through her door and sprayed bullets into her home, it is thought.
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The council worker was enjoying a night in when one of the indiscriminately-fired shots hit her.
It has also been revealed that her younger brother Lewis Dunne was also killed in a mistaken identity shooting in 2015. He was aged just 16 at the time.
The two cases are thought to be completely unrelated.
Family described Ashley as a "shining light" and said their "hearts are broken into a million pieces" after she died in hospital from being shot in Old Swan, Merseyside, yesterday.
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They added: “Ashley was a hard working young woman, who had her entire life ahead of her.
“She had just been promoted at her job with Knowsley Council. She had a degree and so many plans for her bright future that had only just begun. Her laugh, smile and energy was infectious in any room.
“We can’t come to terms with how this would happen to a defenceless woman in her own home. None of this makes sense and our lives will never be the same again.
"A senseless crime that has torn a family apart. Justice needs to be brought.”
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Tributes have also been pouring in online for her as neighbours and friends expressed their shock, reports.
Paige Elizabeth wrote: "Heart-breaking this. RIP Ashley. Taken far too young."
Kayleigh Elizabeth Crowe added: "Such a lovely girl."
Merseyside Police Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen told the : "She was a young, innocent woman enjoying her life.
"So we do not believe, at this time, that Ashley was in any way involved in this. We believe the property was being targeted."
So far it's unknown what type of gun was used in the attack but police have ruled out a shotgun-type weapon.
Ashley largely lived in the property on her own, Chief Supt Kameen said. The front door was forced open and a gun was indiscriminately used on multiple occasions inside, he added.
He said: "Ashley was inside, exactly where she should be, enjoying her Saturday evening and Sunday morning, and she was hit by one of those shots.
"That proved fatal despite the very best efforts of Merseyside Police and then the North West Ambulance Service."
He urged the public to come forward with any information that could help the investigation.
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Information and video footage can shared directly with the investigation team via the police public portal - Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).
You can also contact us via social media @MerPolCC or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 22000615873.
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