Man charged after shots fired at shop, cinema and house in Liverpool
Police locked down the Showcase Cinema after shots were fired – Iain Watts/Liverpool Echo A man has been charged over a shooting spree in Liverpool on Wednesday night, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Leslie Garrett, 49, of Liverpool, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm to endanger life, two of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and one count of attempted robbery.
He also faces one charge of possession of ammunition without a certificate, and will appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. No one was injured in the shootings, but children were left terrified when the Showcase Cinema in Croxteth was put into lockdown after two staff members were threatened by the gunman. Neighbours said Mr Garrett had previously worked as a security guard at the cinema, although neither Merseyside Police nor Showcase Cinemas confirmed this.
Store CCTV of the suspected Liverpool shooter – Twitter
The shootings began at 8pm on Wednesday, when police were called to the News and Booze store, known as Sangha’s, on Lower House Lane, Norris Green, after reports that a man had threatened the assistant and demanded money before opening fire. CCTV footage from inside the shop shows a man wearing a green hooded jacket and flip-flops staring down the barrel of what appears to be a shotgun and firing a single shot before walking outside empty-handed. Fifty minutes later, police received reports of more shots being fired at the nearby Showcase Cinema at Stonedale Retail Park, Croxteth.
Further reports were received that gunshots were heard at a property on Malpas Road, Croxteth, at about 10.20pm. At 4.46am, armed officers raided a property in Fazakerley and arrested a man after using a Taser to subdue him. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just £9 with our US-exclusive offer.[1]