Cinema employee 'could hardly speak' as man in flip flops 'pointed gun at her'
A shellshocked cinema employee "could hardly speak" after a man wearing flip flops aimed a gun at her, according to witnesses.
Liverpool was plunged into chaos overnight after a man allegedly fired three shots across separate areas of the city. A man has been arrested after shots were fired at three locations in Liverpool on Wednesday night, Merseyside Police have said. The 49-year-old was arrested by armed response officers in Fazakerley after a Taser was deployed.
The reign of terror took the alleged shooter from a newsagents to a busy cinema complex to a residential property. At the Showcase Cinema in Croxteth, two employees were confronted in the foyer by a gunman who allegedly pointed his gun at them, leaving them extremely distressed and sparking a police lockdown.
One witness who was inside the cinema, Craig Moorhead, 35, from Garston, had been to watch Wonka with his daughter and her friend, who are both 14. After the filmed ended he said he heard police around the back of the building, and when they emerged into the foyer, armed officers had blocked the doors.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "I went to take my daughter and her mate to watch Wonka in the Showcase and as I come out all of a sudden all armed response teams were coming in. I was talking to a girl on the desk and apparently the fella pointed a shotgun at her face."
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"She was in shock and could hardly speak. I think he did a couple of shots outside and then ran in, the woman said he was wearing flipflops or something. They kept us inside the foyer and started evacuating us in little groups. There were 80 to 100 people inside."
The gunman seen entering a local convenience store
Thankfully no one was injured in the incidentAround 8pm yesterday evening, the man was captured on CCTV wearing flip-flops and a green hooded jacket as he entered the News and Booze store (known locally as Sangha newsagents). In it, he is seen carrying a large gun and police said he went on to threaten the shop assistant and demand they hand over money. He fired his gun but left empty handed, thankfully without having injured anyone or damaged the shop.
Overnight police set up a cordon outside the newsagents. Then, less than a mile and a half away, at the Showcase Cinema in Croxteth around 8.50pm, filmgoers were thrown into a lockdown after the gunman entered into the complex and aimed his weapon at two staff members.
He fired shots outside, leading to armed police rushing to the scene, then fled in a car. Around 10.20pm, police received a third set of reports of gunshots at a property on Malpas Road. After tireless work, officers arrested a 49-year-old man at 4.46am when warrants were carried out at a property. They were forced to use a Taser after the man was said to have become aggressive.
Armed police rushed to the cinema complex (Liverpool Echo)Assistant Chief Constable Jenn Wilson, said: "I can report that a 49-year-old man has been arrested following three firearms discharges in the Croxteth and Norris Green areas last night. Thankfully incidents like this, involving a single offender in three separate shootings in close proximity and quick succession, are extremely rare and this is the first time we have had to deal with an incident of this nature on the streets of Merseyside.
"The shocking and distressing impact these incidents will have had on the shop assistant, the staff at the Showcase Cinema and those filmgoers who found themselves in a lockdown situation in the complex after shots were fired outside the cinema and the residents of Malpas Road cannot be underestimated.
Filmgoers and staff were plunged into a lockdown after the man fired off shots outside (Liverpool Echo)"Officers were on the ground immediately following the first incident and were able to respond swiftly to the subsequent discharges, and a male was identified. located and arrested on suspicion of all three discharges within 13 hours. High visibility patrols will remain in the area to reassure members of the local community.
"Those affected by the incidents can get help from Victim Care Merseyside, who have trained staff who act as a single point of contact for all victims and survivors, offering access to free, confidential advice and support. This includes access to a range of specialist support services delivered by 10 independent local organisations providing bespoke, dedicated care to victims of crime. You can get further information from www.victimcaremerseyside.org
Police have since arrested a 49-year-old man (Liverpool Echo)"Firearms have no place on our streets and we are committed to arresting those involved in gun crime and taking firearms off our streets. I would appeal to anyone who has information about those involved in gun crime, or who knows were weapons are being stored to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 so we can further reduce the harm caused by these weapons in our communities.”
"If you saw what happened or have any mobile or CCTV footage of the incidents please contact us as a matter of urgency as you may have information which is vital to our investigation. Any information provided will be acted upon. Information from our community is vital if we are to stop people carrying out such attacks in Merseyside that causes such violence on our streets."
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Anyone with footage or information is asked to DM @MerPol or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting log 928 of Wednesday 3 January.
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