Ashley Dale: New CCTV issued of car minutes before woman shot dead in her back garden

Police are appealing for information from drivers and pedestrians who were in the area at the time

Detectives investigating the fatal shooting of a woman in her back garden in Liverpool have released CCTV footage of a car being driven in the area in the hopes of catching her killer.

On Sunday, police were called at about 12.40am to a house on Leinster Road in the Old Swan area of the city where Knowsley council worker Ashley Dale, 28, was found with gunshot injuries.

She received medical attention at the scene before being taken to a hospital, where she died a short while later of a single gunshot wound, a post-mortem examination has found.

Ashley Dale died in hospital aged 28 from a single gunshot wound (Merseyside Police)

At this stage, Merseyside Police believes that she was not the intended target of the shooting that her relatives – who described her as a “shining light” – said was a “senseless crime that has torn a family apart.”

Ms Dale’s brother Lewis Dunne was 16 when he was shot dead in what are considered to be similar circumstances.

In 2015, he was killed by a Liverpool gang that mistook him for a rival. The siblings’ deaths were not thought to be related.

Ms Dale’s family is being supported by specially trained officers, the police force said.

Ms Dale’s brother Lewis Dunne was 16 when he was killed in a case of mistaken identity (Merseyside Police)

Detectives have now released CCTV footage of a car driving in the area about 10 minutes before the incident was reported to the police.

The clip shows the car turning into Leinster Road before stopping for several seconds and then continuing up the road. Pedestrians can be seen walking past the car’s left hand side.

The police said they wish to speak to the driver and any passengers, as they believe that they would have vital information that could help them in their investigation.

The car that police say is crucial in their hunt for Ms Dale’s killer (Merseyside Police)

They are also appealing for information from pedestrians, taxi drivers, and delivery drivers – particularly those with dashcam footage – that were in the area at the time of the incident.

The force’s previous appeal at the earlier stage of their murder inquiry had mentioned that a car was seen being driven “erratically” down Prescot Road, the main road close to Ms Dale’s home, after the shooting.

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said: “Our officers are working round-the-clock to investigate this appalling incident which led to the tragic death of a young woman.”

Police cordon at Leinster Road in the Old Swan district of Liverpool (Jason Roberts/PA)

She said the area around Leinster Road, Prescot Road, and the crossroads near the Navigator pub was “relatively busy” at the time of the shooting as there was a “boxing match [that] had not long finished”.

“Please come forward with anything you know to help us to get justice for Ashely’s family and put those responsible for this horrific incident before the courts,” Ms Cummings said.

People with information are asked to submit the details directly with the investigations team through the online portal by clicking here.

Information can also be submitted via social media to the @MerPolCC accounts or by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 – quoting reference 22000615873.