Ashley Dale: Police release CCTV footage after fatal garden shooting

Ashley Dale's "laugh, smile and energy was infectious in any room", her family says

Police investigating the fatal shooting of a woman in her own back garden have released CCTV footage of a car being driven in the area before her death.

Ashley Dale, 28, died in hospital after she was shot in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Merseyside Police said it did not believe she was the intended target.

The force has released footage of a car being driven into Leinster Road about 10 minutes before the shooting

Det Ch Insp Cath Cummings said: "If it was you driving the car, you were a passenger, or the CCTV jogs your memory about anything you might have seen in the early hours of 21 August then please get in touch.

"Information you have could be crucial to our ongoing investigation."

Ms Dale was found in the back garden of her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan

She also urged anyone who was in the area between 00:20 and 00:40 BST on Sunday to get in touch.

"You may have seen or heard something which could really help us find those responsible," she added.

A post-mortem examination has confirmed Ms Dale's death was caused by a single gunshot wound.

She was the half-sister of 16-year-old Lewis Dunne, who was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity in Liverpool in 2015.

Her family said Ms Dale, who had just been promoted in her job with Knowsley Council, had been "a hard working young woman, who had her entire life ahead of her".