'People are running around with guns shooting each other... someone will get killed'

TWO SHOOTINGS, ALONG WITH A STABBING, A MASS BRAWL AND A SUSPECTED ARSON ATTACK, LEAVE RESIDENTS FEELING UNEASY

- By LIAM THORP

A mobile police station in place at the corner of Kingsley Road in Toxteth after the shooting earlier this month

“I THINK it is outrageous that people are running around this area with guns shooting each other. Someone is going to get killed.”

These are the words of Ed Gommon, who has called the Kingsley Road area of Toxteth his home for the past 14 years. He has enjoyed making this community his own, but recently, like others in this area, he has been left feeling afraid.

Two shooting incidents in almost the exact same spot in a matter of months, along with a stabbing, a mass brawl and a suspected arson attack nearby have all contributed to the feeling of unease for the locals who live in this part of Liverpool 8.

Just after midnight on Sunday, October 5, the residents of Kingsley Road and the surrounding streets - including Millennium Road and Seaport Street - were woken by the terrifying sound of seven bullets being fired.

The gunshots came from a person in a car who was firing wildly as the vehicle chased a man who was on foot.

It was around 12.15am that one of these bullets crashed through the window of a family home on Kingsley Road, fortunately not hitting anyone inside.

The house appears to have been caught in the crossfire of what locals believe is the latest incident of gang violence in this area of Toxteth.

It was roughly four months ago that a shooting took place on almost exactly the same spot in Kingsley Road. On that occasion residents said they heard nine shots, with a vehicle damaged by bullets.

And it’s not just shootings that have been spreading fear here.