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A young woman was killed and three men were wounded in a Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England, police said Sunday.
Merseyside Police Force said it was investigating the shooting at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey at 11:50pm on Saturday as a case of murder. Police have not detained any suspects.
“This investigation is at a very early stage, and we understand that this is a truly shocking and devastating incident that took place just before Christmas Day in a busy area full of young people,” Detective Superintendent David McCaughrin said.
The police force said in a statement that the woman died in hospital of “sustained gunshot injuries”. With three men injured, several others were injured, according to the statement.
Investigators are seeking witnesses as well as cellphone video and closed-circuit television footage to try to determine what happened, McCaughran said.
“We believe the gunman left the pub car park in a dark-coloured vehicle, possibly a dark-coloured Mercedes shortly after the shooting, and we are keen for any sightings to contact us immediately,” he said.
A minister at a nearby church told Britain’s Press Association news agency that the shooting would shock local residents because of where the pub is located.
“We have a lot of young people, families in that area. The lighthouse is central to that community,” said Jeffrey Hughes, minister of the United Reformed Church.
Hughes said his church’s Christmas morning service would not be “as celebratory as it was going to be” because of the upsetting news.
The violence “shows us that even though we celebrate Christmas, we as a society are very far from those ideals (of peace),” he told the PA.
Gun violence is comparatively rare in Britain, where most police officers do not carry guns.
A 44-year-old man has been arrested following a fatal shooting at a pub in eastern England on Friday night, Essex Police Force said.
The suspect was charged with murder, possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and possessing a bladed object in a public place after the death of another man at the Lamb and Lion pub in Westcliff-on-Sea, police said.
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