A MAN has been arrested in connection with the shooting of Elle Edwards in Wallasey on Christmas Eve.
Merseyside Police said they have arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and assisting an offender on Thursday in the Barnston area of Wirral.
He has been taken to a police station for questioning.
Connor Chapman, 22, has already been charged with murdering Ms Edwards and is due to go on trial on June 7.
The 26-year-old beautician was celebrating Christmas with friends when she was shot outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, shortly before midnight.
Two New York cops stabbed during celebrations in Times Square
She is not believed to have been the intended target of the attack.
Hundreds of mourners gathered at her funeral on Wednesday, at St Nicholas Church in Wallasey, where a funeral cortege led by a hearse with floral tribute saying "Elle May" was followed by Elle's coffin in a carriage pulled by four white horses.
The order of service asked for donations to the Elle Edwards Foundation in her memory.
The Lighthouse pub was closed on Wednesday as a mark of respect and flowers were left at the entrance.
A statement on the pub's Facebook page said: "Elle and her family have remained very much in our thoughts over these past few weeks and even more so right now.
"May she rest in peace."
Merseyside Police have asked anyone with information about Ms Edwards' death to submit it via their Public Portal where information, CCTV and dashcam and mobile phone footage can be uploaded to the investigation team.
Elle's dad Tim helped carry his daughter's coffin, which had white, red and pink roses, into the church.
Her devastated family all wore a pin that appeared to show two E's back-to-back in the shape of a butterfly.
Reverend Jeff Staples said there was "much in Elle's life that needs to be celebrated".
At least nine killed after New Year's Day stampede at shopping centre
He also revealed Elle's granddad George had said mourners needed to leave the church with "hope in our hearts".
The congregation was invited to tie a ribbon on the church's prayer tree during the poignant service.
It is thought the gunman had been tipped off that a man he had a bust-up with a few days earlier was among the drinkers.
As the area was peppered with bullets, Elle was tragically blasted in the head.
She was rushed to hospital along with four men but sadly couldn't be saved.
Her dad Tim Edwards said on behalf of the grieving family: “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 had this way about her that as soon as you met her, you just instantly fell in love with her, everyone that met Elle knew how special she was.”
The statement added: “Her laugh was infectious. Anyone who was around her had a good time, she loved her life and had so many amazing plans for the future.
“She was only just getting started. Christmas and our family will never be the same again without her. She was the glue that held this big family together, from all of us.
“We will love and miss her forever. Our Elle May, the most beautiful and bright star out there, forever and always.”
Chapman is charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
He is also accused of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, relating to a converted Skorpion submachine gun.
