Firearm recovered following incident in Huyton

Police have a recovered a firearm following an incident in Huyton yesterday evening (Tuesday 18 May).

At around 9.30pm we received a report that a shot was fired at a man in the car park of Knowsley Heights.

A group of six youths wearing dark clothing were reported to have fled the scene in the direction of Liverpool Road on pedal bikes.

Patrols attended and pursued a male on a black mountain bike into flats on Reeds Road.

A containment was put in place around the property but searches for the suspect proved negative.

Officers located a discarded bag containing a firearm and ammunition on Reeds Road.

No one is reported to have been injured during the incident.

CCTV, forensic and witness enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible.

Officers will remain in the area this morning to carry out enquiries and provide reassurance to the local community.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Smith said: “We will not tolerate weapons and those who use them to create fear in our communities and our streets are made safer with every firearm we recover from our streets.

“While a firearm was recovered following the incident last night our search for the suspects remain ongoing and, rest assured, we are doing all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“Officers will remain in the area to carry out enquiries and speak to witnesses, and we are keen to hear from anyone with information. If you saw or heard any suspicious behaviour in the area of Knowsley Heights or Reeds Road last night, or have any CCTV or dashcam footage, please let us know.

"Any information could prove vital to the investigation and assist us in finding who is responsible for this reckless incident.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact us @MerPolCC on Twitter, Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook or call 101 quoting reference 21000320429.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.