15 June 2023 , 15:41
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An alleged gunman looked a woman 'dead in the eyes' before opening fire outside a packed pub, killing a 26-year-old woman, a court has heard.
Connor Chapman is accused of murdering Elle Edwards when he allegedly fired 12 shots from a Skorpion submachine gun outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside on Christmas Eve.
CCTV footage shown to Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday showed a man parking a stolen Mercedes near the pub at 8.57pm and was filmed in the area over a three hour period before launching the attack, said to be the culmination of a feud between rival groups on two estates.
In footage filmed on a police bodyworn camera, witness Jaime Stanton told an officer: “It was a targeted attack because he looked round the corner to see who was there and he turned round.
“He turned round and he looked at me dead in the eyes.
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“I wanted to say to the people that were there ‘watch out’ but I couldn’t because he would have just shot me. It all happened so quick. He just went ‘bang, bang, bang’.”
She added: “I thought he was just going to batter them, I didn’t think he had a gun.”
The shooting took place outside the Lighthouse Pub (Liverpool Echo)The witness sobbed as she spoke to the police constable in the clip shown to jurors.
She described the gunman as wearing a balaclava, but said she had seen brown hair sticking out of it.
She said: “I saw two people just drop to the floor and everyone else just ran inside. Everyone was screaming ‘get inside, get inside’.”
The jury has heard Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, who were injured in the shooting, were the intended targets of the attack.
Three other men were injured and "wholly innocent" beautician Elle Edwards was shot twice in the head.
Elle Edwards was shot in the head (Liverpool Echo)
Connor Chapman denies murder (Liverpool Echo)In a statement, Harry Loughran said he had been outside the pub when he saw someone walk around the corner.
He said: “They raised a gun and pointed it in the direction where I was.”
He said he was spun around by the force of his left arm being hit. “I managed to run inside the pub. When I saw blood on my arm I think I fainted,” he added.
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Off-duty nurse Rachael Kelly, also giving evidence to the murder trial today, described giving CPR to Ms Edwards as she lay on the ground outside the pub.
She said: “I remember being shocked at how much blood was on her.”
Chapman denies the murder of Ms Edwards, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He also denies possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, of Private Drive, Barnston, Wirral, denies possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Chapman to dispose of the car.
The trial continues.