Christmas Eve shooting at UK pub leaves one dead, several injured

A Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England has killed a young woman and wounded three men, with several other injured.

The Merseyside Police force on Sunday said it was investigating Saturday's shooting at the Lighthouse Inn in the town of Wallasey as a murder case. Police have not detained any suspects.

“This investigation is in the very early stages, and we understand that this is a truly shocking and devastating incident that has happened just before Christmas Day in a busy venue full of young people," Detective Superintendent David McCaughrean said.

The woman died at a hospital “with an injury consistent with a gunshot wound,” the police force said in a statement.

Investigators were seeking witnesses as well as cellphone video and closed circuit television footage to figure out what happened, McCaughrean said.

“We believe that 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 to hear from anyone who saw this to contact us immediately,” he said.

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'Far from peace'

Following the attack, the minister of a nearby church told Britain's Press Association news agency that the shooting will come as a shock to local residents because of where the pub is located.

“We’ve got a lot of young people, families in that area. The Lighthouse is central in that community," Jeffrey Hughes, minister of the United Reformed Church, said.

Hughes said his church's Christmas morning service would not be “as much a celebration as it was going to be” because of the upsetting news.

The violence “shows us that even though we celebrate Christmas, we’re still very far from those ideals (of peace) as a society,” he told PA.

Gun violence is comparatively rare in Britain, where most police officers do not carry guns.

A fatal shooting at a pub in eastern England on Friday night resulted in the arrest of a 44-year-old man, the Essex Police force said.

The suspect was charged with murder, possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and possession of a bladed article in a public place following the death of another man at the Lamb and Lion pub in Westcliff-on-Sea, police said.

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