Seven years after her teenage brother was similarly murdered, the family of a “beautiful” graduate who was killed in her home’s backyard by a gang “in a case of mistaken identification” has paid homage to their “shining light”.
Ashley Dale, a council employee, was shot and killed outside the building yesterday just after midnight in Liverpool’s Old Swan neighbourhood. There have not yet been any arrests.
Her £70,000 three-bedroom terraced house, where she “lived primarily on her own,” is likely to have been broken into by thugs who then shot everyone inside.
When neighbours reported hearing what they believed to be gunfire or fireworks, police were summoned, and they discovered graduate Miss Dale in the backyard.
The residence was deliberately targeted, although Miss Dale was not the intended victim, according to Merseyside Police. She received treatment there but subsequently passed away at a hospital.
Police said that the automobile, which was used by Miss Dale and registered to her family, had flat tyres when they discovered it outside. The car has now been taken out of the way for inspection.
The Dale family released the following statement today: “Ashley, our child – our bright light.” We are left with a million shards of crushed hearts. Young and ambitious, Ashley had her whole life ahead of her.
She had just received a promotion at Knowsley Council. She had a degree and many ambitions for her promising future, which was just getting started. Her grin, humour, and vitality filled the room.
“We are unable to comprehend how this could occur to a helpless lady in her own house. Our lives will never be the same again because none of this makes sense. A family has been ripped apart by a senseless crime. There needs to be justice served.
Although her murder is reportedly unconnected to her brother Lewis Dunne’s shooting death at the age of 16 at the hands of a gang who mistaken him for a competitor, it happened seven years ago.
Miss Dale, an employee of Knowsley Council, has received tributes on social media, notably from her former coworker Carol Tunstall, who tweeted the following: It’s very sad. Ashley used to work with us quite a few years ago. Such a nice, adorable young lady.
Additionally, a friend named Saraphina Kingfisher wrote on Facebook that Ashley was one of the kindest individuals she had ever encountered. Such a golden heart. Beautiful, go to paradise and rest.
Danielle O’Mahoney, a family friend, said, “My heart is shattered for you and your whole family, Julie Dale. I’m thinking about you. I’m sending you my love and my strength.
She was beautiful, a neighbour told the Liverpool Echo. She was a sweet young lady who was just living her life to the fullest when this unfortunate event occurred.
“It is not worth contemplating.” As a mother, my thoughts are with her family and friends. This street has never been troublesome; it’s always been peaceful.
She had injuries to her body consistent with gunshot wounds when officers arrived at a residence on Leinster Road yesterday just after 12.40 am, according to officers.
In the hospital, Miss Dale’s death was confirmed.
The police said that her relatives had been notified and were receiving help from policemen with specialised training.
Merseyside Police’s head of investigations, Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, said that investigators currently think Miss Dale was at home alone when the incident occurred.
According to him, Ashley resided there mostly by herself. At this point, we know that someone or something outside pushed through the front entrance of that home.
Then, numerous times inside, a weapon was fired carelessly.
Ashley was inside, precisely where she was supposed to be, taking in her Saturday night and Sunday morning when one of those bullets struck her.
Despite Merseyside Police and later the North West Ambulance Service’s greatest efforts, “it proved lethal.”
Police have stated that while the exact sort of weapons used is unknown, it was not a shotgun.
The scene’s bullet casings have been sent off for analysis.
When asked why the police suspected the address was a target, Mr Kameen said, “I’m sure everyone can understand that the inquiry is in its very early phases.
We now hold the opinion that Ashley was not the intended target of this assault.
Ashley was employed by Knowsley Council, had just been promoted, had recently graduated, and had the rest of her life as well as her whole career ahead of her. She was a young, naive lady having fun with life.
Therefore, we don’t think Ashley was responsible for this at this time. We think the building was the objective. And as we go, we are now looking at the causes of it.
Inquiries are being made by detectives as part of a murder investigation, and a post-mortem examination will be performed to determine the cause of death.
An automobile that was being driven ‘erratically’ on Prescot Road around the time of the shooting has been the subject of a police information request.
Since the shooting death of Lucy Hargreaves in August 2005, when three men broke into a home and shot her to death, Miss Dale is the first woman to be the victim of a gun crime in Liverpool.
Additionally speaking to BBC North West today, Mr Kameen said: “I want our communities to feel absolute disgust, revulsion, and sorrow at this terrible awful murder, senseless murder, of an innocent 28-year-old lady in her own house.
To ensure that the perpetrators are found as soon as possible, “We must join together – the police, the communities, and the Press itself.”
DCI Kameen said in a statement from yesterday that “This certainly was a very sad occurrence that has resulted in the death of a young lady.”
“I realise how terrifying instances like this might look to regular people on the street. In the next hours and days, we will be engaging with residents of the local and surrounding neighbourhood to reassure them of the continued work we are doing to discover the individual or persons involved.”
“Gun criminality has no place on Merseyside’s streets, and we will stop at nothing to bring those guilty to account.”
A variety of avenues of inquiry are now being looked at as part of an investigation.
As usual, the community serves as our eyes and ears, and we are aware that there could be locals who heard or saw anything in the early morning hours that might be important to our inquiry.
“I want those individuals to kindly come forward and inform us of what they know.” Please check your own CCTV or Ring the doorbell if you live or work nearby to see whether it recorded anything that might help us.
Similarly, if I was driving in the neighbourhood, I would request that delivery and taxi drivers review their dashcam video. We are especially interested in speaking with anybody who saw a car being driven recklessly in the vicinity of Prescot Road.
In 2015, Lewis Dale, Miss Dale’s brother, stepped into the path of four men who were waiting with a loaded gun on a canal towpath in Liverpool as he was making his way to a store.
The shooting came after a series of altercations between two groups that included intentional vehicle ramming, car chases, and street violence.