Crimestoppers offer £20,000 reward for killer of Sam Rimmer shot in Liverpool

Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information leading to the killer of a young father-to-be who was shot dead in Liverpool.

Sam Rimmer, 22, was hit in the back by a bullet from a Skorpion sub-machine gun.

The gunman fired eight bullets in all from the weapon on Lavrock Bank, Dingle, on 16 August, 2022.

Merseyside Police say that Sam, who was from Bootle, had no involvement in criminality and was just visiting friends on Lavrock Bank on the night he was killed.

Officers believe that at around 11:30pm four suspects arrived on two electric bikes before one of them opened fire towards Sam and his friends.

More than two years on from the shooting, no-one has been charged with the murder though 10 people have been arrested and remain under investigation.

Crimestoppers has now confirmed it is supporting the investigation by offering up to £20,000 for information.

The charity is appealing for information about who fired the gun; the names of those on the bikes at the time of the shooting; and what happened to the gun after it was used.

Gary Murray, North West manager at Crimestoppers, said: "Despite extensive investigations with 10 people being arrested and bailed since, this dreadful murder remains unsolved."

Speaking previously, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath said the shooting came against the backdrop of a gang-related dispute that had been waged on the streets of Dingle.

He said: "There were a number of incidents in and around the Dingle area over a 12 to 18 month period in the lead up to Sam's murder.

"This involved violence between individuals involved in localised drug dealing. We believe this might be part of that. Sam was of good character.

"Some of his associates are on the periphery of criminality and that’s why we believe this has happened. This is a group offence - what I believe is it’s a targeted attack on his group of friends and he has been in the middle of it."

He added: "I am very confident one of those 10 people we have arrested was the one who pulled the trigger."

The investigating officer said he and his team believe they know who is responsible for the shooting but are still looking for "that final piece of the jigsaw" that will allow them to move forward with a successful prosecution.

He has said that police had been able to follow the movements of the electric bikes in the run-up to the killing: "From the CCTV we have identified the two bikes coming into the area from the general direction of the city centre. They come into the Dingle area around 6pm. We have sightings of them in that period going around the estates.

"They will have interacted with people in that time, they will have interacted with other groups and we think because of that they are looking to target particular individuals."

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