GANGSTERS have called for a ceasefire following the pub shooting of Elle Edwards on Christmas Eve.
Those close to several crime groups say the violent Merseyside gun war is "getting out of hand".
Elle, 26, was shot in the head in the beer garden of the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey on December 24 in what is understood to have been a revenge hit gone wrong.
It is believed she was innocently caught up in a feud between rival gangs when she was blasted at around 11.50pm.
Her death followed several other high-profile fatal shootings on Merseyside this year, including that of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel and council worker Ashley Dale.
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The schoolgirl was killed when a masked gunman chased a man into her family home in August, while Ashley, 28, was hit in what is believed to be a case of mistaken identity.
Locals with gang connections caught up in the brutality have now declared "enough is enough", The Mirror reports.
One said: "What’s going on? A young girl has gone out for Christmas and will never go home.
"Why are these kids carrying guns and knives? Why?
"It could have been any of our kids. It’s all getting out of hand."
Another added: "Someone needs to speak out and stop this.
"It’s grim. It could be my family or your family facing this tragedy.
"It’s time to say ‘enough is enough’.
"It’s time to put a stop to all this madness, all these young lads and girls being shot."
Three people have been arrested over the shooting of beautician Elle - two men aged 31 and 30 and a 19-year-old woman.
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Two have been released on bail while the other has been recalled to prison on licence.
'BEAUTIFUL AND BRIGHT STAR'
Ellie's family have pushed for answers and justice for their "beautiful and bright star".
Her dad Tim said in a statement: "There was no one as beautiful as our Elle May - her looks, her laugh and the way she would light up a room as soon as she walked in.
"She was the glue that held this big family together.
"We will love and miss her forever."
Merseyside Police Detective Superintendent Sue Coombs added: "Elle’s family are understandably devastated by her shocking and needless death.
"They need answers and now it’s more important than ever that people come forward and tell us what they know.
"We need people to take a stand against criminals.
"These people don’t deserve to be walking our streets, they don’t deserve to be protected, they belong in prison."
These people don’t deserve to be walking our streets. They belong in prison.
Sue Coombs
While official gun crime figures in Liverpool have fallen from 283 in 2021 to 241 towards the end of 2022, experts are worried about how easy it is to buy firearms.
Dr Robert Hesketh, from the School of Justice Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, told the BBC budget guns can be obtained for as little as £150.
Earlier this year, he said he feared incidents would increase as the cost of living crisis pushes up people's need for cash.
He said gun crime is closely linked with drug dealing, and Liverpool is a key player in the UK's drug gang infrastructure.
As well as Elle, Olivia and Ashley, Sam Rimmer also lost his life to gun crime in the area.
The 22-year-old, known to friends as "little man Sam", was shot in the chest while out with friends in August.
Two months later, grandmother Jackie Rutter, 53, was gunned down in the doorway of her home in what her family described as a "revenge attack".