Police recover assault rifle after shots fired in three locations in Liverpool
Police have recovered a gun believed to have been used during a spate of shootings in Liverpool.
The assault rifle was found at a property in the Liverpool area after shots were fired in three locations on the evening of Wednesday, 3 January.
The first report was received from a shop, with further incidents outside the Showcase Cinema in Croxteth and at a nearby property.
No-one was injured in any of the incidents.
Police arrested a 49-year-old man from the Fazakerley area on suspicion of possession of a Section 1 firearm with intent to endanger life and robbery.
He remains in custody and enquiries remain ongoing. Officers say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
CCTV showing the moment a gunman entered a newsagents and fired shots
Merseyside Police say the gun has been forensically recovered and tests will be carried out to establish if it is a viable firearm.
What happened on 3 January?
8.30pm - Officers are called to Sangha newsagents on Lower House Lane, Norris Green, after reports a man threatened the store assistant and demanded cash before firing a gun and leaving empty handed.
8.50pm - A call is made after reports that shots had been fired outside the Showcase Cinema on Stonedale retail park in Croxteth.
10.20pm - Reports received gun shots had been heard at a property on Malpas Road. No-one was injured during the incident.
Following the incident, Assistant Chief Constable Jenn Wilson, said: "Thankfully incidents like this, involving a single offender in three separate shootings in close proximity and quick succession, are extremely rare and this is the first time we have had to deal with an incident of this nature on the streets of Merseyside.
"The shocking and distressing impact these incidents will have had on the shop assistant, the staff at the Showcase Cinema and those filmgoers who found themselves in a lockdown situation in the complex after shots were fired outside the cinema and the residents of Malpas Road cannot be underestimated.
"Officers were on the ground immediately following the first incident and were able to respond swiftly to the subsequent discharges, and a male was identified. located and arrested on suspicion of all three discharges within 13 hours."