'Friendly' shopkeeper stabbed in front of children

Flowers were laid close to the scene where a woman was stabbed to death in a shop in Bootle

A "friendly and hardworking" shopkeeper was stabbed to death in front of children and customers, witnesses to the attack have said.

Merseyside Police said the 44-year-old woman died in hospital after the attack inside the Low Cost Food & Wine convenience shop in Bootle, Merseyside, shortly after 17:05 BST on Friday.

A 47-year-old man from the Widnes area was arrested near the shop on Stanley Road, and is being questioned on suspicion of murder and possession of a knife.

Witnesses described children running out of the shop and screaming for help, while bystanders tried to help the victim, who they said had collapsed by the shop entrance.

A police spokesman said the suspect "fell ill" shortly after being taken to a police station and is being treated in hospital.

Det Insp Gavin Mulcahy previously said the attack was being treated as a domestic assault and that no one else is being sought by police.

Constantin Manzu, 40, who owns C&C Cakes opposite the scene, said he saw the aftermath of the stabbing and sheltered witnesses in his shop.

He told the BBC: "I heard screaming. There was a bus at the stop in front so I could not make out what it was but when I went outside there was a big group by the door of the shop.

"I could see them looking at someone lying on the floor, and someone standing there said someone had been stabbed."

Constantin Manzu said the "whole street was crying" after the woman was stabbed

Mr Manzu said two customers who witnessed the attack stayed in his shop for a short time afterwards as "everyone was in shock".

He said: "I can't describe it in words. I just literally burst into tears when I heard and I saw everyone crying and screaming.

"The whole situation is horrendous and I think you need to have a very strong heart to support those kind of emotions"

Mr Manzu said he and his partner regularly went into the shop and described the victim as "really nice with everyone that stepped in the shop".

"All the time she was nice with the kids all around here, she was nice with my kids," he said.

The attack happened in the Low Cost Food & Wine shop on Stanley Road in Bootle

Nicky Galliver, 60, works in a beauty salon next door to the shop where the woman was attacked.

She said she and the other staff were customers at Low Cost Food & Wines and described the shopkeeper as "hardworking and very friendly".

Ms Galliver said: "She loved her children, you could always see her taking the kids to school.

"It's frightening, especially on your doorstep."

Another local shop worker, 22-year-old Hawraz Mustafi, said he had been standing outside when he heard a child screaming and noticed a woman lying on the ground with serious injuries.