Wirral shooting: man, 79, arrested on suspicion of murder in Moreton after woman shot dead - what happened?

A 79-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found shot dead at a house in Merseyside.

Police were called to an address in Moreton, in Wirral, at about 1.45am this morning, following calls that the body of a woman in her 50s had been discovered inside.

She was pronounced dead at the scene in Meadowbrook Road, with an injury to her chest consistent with a gunshot wound, Merseyside Police said.

Officers arrested a 79-year-old man, who is known to the victim, on suspicion of murder and he has been taken into custody for questioning.

The incident is another high-profile shooting in Merseyside, which saw three gun deaths in a week in August - including nine-year-old schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel, council worker Ashley Dale, 28, and Sam Rimmer, 22.

Police erected a cordon in Meadowbrook Road and are carrying out forensic examinations, CCTV checks and house-to-house inquiries.

Chief Inspector Derek Riley said: “Although a man has been arrested following the tragic death of this woman in Moreton, we are still in the very early stages of our investigation and inquiries into the incident are still ongoing in the area.

“I would ask anyone who was in the area of Meadowbrook Road in the very early hours of this morning who saw or heard anything or thinks they have captured anything significant on their doorbell camera or dashcam to contact us as a matter of urgency.

“I would also encourage anyone who has any other information which they believe could assist with our investigation to get in touch as this could be vital to our inquiries.”

National attention turned to gun crime in Merseyside in August, when little Olivia was shot dead at her home, in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22. Thomas Cashman, 34, of West Derby, has been charged with Olivia’s murder and will appear in court again next year.

Knowsley Council worker Ashley was killed in the back garden of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, the day before, while Sam Rimmer was shot dead in Dingle on August 16.

Anyone with any information relating to the Wirral death is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter, or Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook, or call 101 with log 096 of Sunday 30 October.