Latest news with #fatal shooting
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man shot five times while collecting pizza had '£30,000 contract on his head'
A man was arrested in connection to a fatal shooting was shot five times as he picked up a pizza. 18 years ago, Ryan Woolley was murdered while he collected his food at a takeaway on Picton Road, Wavertree in Liverpool. Despite three men standing trial for the alleged "gangland killing", no one has ever been convicted. Detectives believe that Mr Woolley was shot in the neck, face and chest as a getback for the killing of a Michael "Mikey" Wright, who was murdered in December 2006. Mr Woolley's brother Philip was convicted of being the "executioner or executioner's assistant" when Mr Wright was shot at close-range as he sat eating his food outside KFC at Croxteth's Stonedale retail park in December 2006, the ECHO reports.. READ MORE: Kate Garraway thanks 'gallant stranger' for selfless act at Oasis gig READ MORE: UK tourists travelling to 29 European countries face strict new rules Ryan Woolley was also arrested during the investigation into Mr Wright's murder. But the senior prosecutor during the trial into his own murder told jurors there was no good evidence to link him to the killing. He told the jury: "There are those who do not want to rely on the proper rules of law which apply to the rest of us. "Thus it would appear Ryan Woolley became a target not for the police, whose job it is to enforce the law, but for others who prefer to live outside it. A contract was put out on Ryan Woolley's head and his death seems to have been the consequence of it." On the day of his death, on August 11 2007, Mr Woolley spent the day drinking on Wavertree High Street with two men who would eventually go on to stand trial for the murder. The drinking resumed in the evening, but at around 9.45pm, one of the two former suspects said he needed to return home because of a police curfew. He told Mr Woolley to collect the pizzas over fears of being arrested and, during that time, it is alleged he summoned a hitman, who was accused of lying in wait in a gated alleyway off Taunton Street. CCTV captured Mr Woolley waiting in Prime Pizza, but just 25 seconds after he left the shop, five loud shots rang out. Mr Woolley, who was three days off his 21st birthday, died instantly. A post-mortem later showed Mr Woolley was shot first from behind through his neck. A second bullet went into his chin and three more bullets were fired into his body. Speaking to the ECHO previously from her Walton home, Mr Woolley's mum Kim said she had no idea why her son was in Wavertree as he had no friends in the area. She said: "His brother spoke to him later that night and told him to get back to his own end of town. People have assumed that this has happened because of Philip, but as far as we know it could be something completely different." The three suspects charged with Mr Woolley's murder went on trial in April 2009. But at the end of the prosecution's case two weeks later, where the court heard a £30,000 contract was on his head, their legal teams argued there was no case to answer based on the evidence put before the court. High Court judge Mr Justice Pitchford threw the case out but the Crown Prosecution Service took his decision to the Court of Appeal, but they lost their challenge. Discharging the jury and acquitting the defendants, Justice Pitchford said he had come to the conclusion that there was "practically no" evidence that one of the men standing trial was the gunman. Following the acquittal, Merseyside Police said the case remained open and "detectives would still like to speak to anybody who has information about the murder of Ryan Woolley". The force had not re-appealed for more information regarding the murder, until the ECHO requested an update on the investigation this week. Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside Police's serious crime review unit, told the ECHO: "The murder of Ryan Woolley in 2007 is subject to regular reviews by the unit and we would always investigate any new leads or information. We know, as in many cases, that our communities often hold the information which is vital to our enquiries. "Ryan was only a young man and his death left his family and friends devastated. Any small amount of information could be the key to getting justice for them." It is still believed the shooting of Mr Woolley was linked to the murder of Mr Wright just months before. Underworld figure David Hibbs-Turner, described as the "principal architect and controlling mind" behind a wave of crime and terror, was convicted of ordering the shooting of Mr Wright. A trial heard Hibbs-Turner had a longstanding personal hatred of Mr Wright because his girlfriend previously dated him and the pair had a child together. Philip Woolley, who the court heard had an IQ of just 68 and was described as "suffering a significant mental impairment", was also sentenced and told he would have to serve a minimum term of 24 years in prison. Following a retrial, Mark Richardson and Paul Hollands were jailed for life for their part in the shooting, serving 28 and 25 years respectively. The judge said the shooting of Mr Wright was "a deliberate, ruthless and cowardly execution". Anyone with information about Ryan Woolley's murder is asked to DM @MerPolCC or call 101. Information can also be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
North London shooting victim was ‘deeply loved' father-of-one
The victim of a fatal shooting in north London has been named by police as Erdal Ozmen, a 'deeply loved' father-of-one. A murder investigation was opened after Mr Ozmen, 45, was killed in Stoke Newington in the early hours of Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said. He was found with gunshot injuries at an address in Dynevor Road at 12.18am and later pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Ozmen was 'deeply loved by his family', detectives said on Wednesday as they appealed for witnesses to help find his killer. The motive for the murder remains unclear, the force said. No arrests have been made. Forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon, alongside several police officers. Det Ch Insp Dave Whellams, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward following the fatal shooting of Erdal. 'He was a father-of-one and was deeply loved by his family. 'Today, we are asking the public for assistance. Were you in the Dynevor Road area late on Monday night into early Tuesday morning? Did you see anyone acting out of the ordinary? 'Did you hear anything at all which perhaps seemed unusual – maybe people shouting, or a loud vehicle? 'The smallest piece of information could play a significant role in our investigation.' A post-mortem examination has not yet been carried out but Mr Ozmen's family are being supported by specialist officers. Residents woke to gunshots Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives opposite Dynevor Road, said: 'My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was 'how do you know?' 'We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.' Another resident said: 'I heard a few gunshots and the first thing I thought was that it was fireworks, because you don't expect it to be a gun. 'I was trying to sleep but then later I heard sirens from the police cars.' One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'We were out when it happened so we didn't hear or see anything. 'But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Stoke Newington murder victim named
The victim of a fatal shooting in north London has been named by police. A murder investigation was launched after Erdal Ozmen, 45, was killed in Stoke Newington, the Metropolitan Police said. He was found with gunshot injuries by officers who were called to an address in Dynevor Road on Tuesday at 12.18am. The father-of-one was 'deeply loved by his family' detectives said on Wednesday as they appealed for witnesses to help find his killer. Residents said they woke to the sounds of gunshots. Mr Ozmen was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives say the motive for the murder remains unclear. No arrests have been made. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward following the fatal shooting of Erdal. 'He was a father-of-one and was deeply loved by his family. 'Today, we are asking the public for assistance. Were you in the Dynevor Road area late on Monday night into early Tuesday morning? Did you see anyone acting out of the ordinary? 'Did you hear anything at all which perhaps seemed unusual – maybe people shouting, or a loud vehicle? 'The smallest piece of information could play a significant role in our investigation.' A post-mortem examination has not yet been carried out. Mr Ozmen's family are being supported by specialist officers. Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives opposite Dynevor Road, said: 'My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was 'how do you know?' 'We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.' Another resident said: 'I heard a few gunshots and the first thing I thought was that it was fireworks, because you don't expect it to be a gun. 'I was trying to sleep but then later I heard sirens from the police cars.' One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'We were out when it happened so we didn't hear or see anything. 'But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.' Forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon, alongside several police officers.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Stoke Newington murder victim named
The victim of a fatal shooting in north London has been named by police. A murder investigation was launched after Erdal Ozmen, 45, was killed in Stoke Newington, the Metropolitan Police said. He was found with gunshot injuries by officers who were called to an address in Dynevor Road on Tuesday at 12.18am. The father-of-one was 'deeply loved by his family' detectives said on Wednesday as they appealed for witnesses to help find his killer. Residents said they woke to the sounds of gunshots. Mr Ozmen was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives say the motive for the murder remains unclear. No arrests have been made. Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, who is leading the investigation, said: 'We continue to appeal for witnesses to come forward following the fatal shooting of Erdal. 'He was a father-of-one and was deeply loved by his family. 'Today, we are asking the public for assistance. Were you in the Dynevor Road area late on Monday night into early Tuesday morning? Did you see anyone acting out of the ordinary? 'Did you hear anything at all which perhaps seemed unusual – maybe people shouting, or a loud vehicle? 'The smallest piece of information could play a significant role in our investigation.' A post-mortem examination has not yet been carried out. Mr Ozmen's family are being supported by specialist officers. Liza Dodds, 58, a youth worker who lives opposite Dynevor Road, said: 'My husband woke up and said there was gunshots. The instant reaction was 'how do you know?' 'We both got up and had a look. A police officer was doing CPR where the person fell. It seemed like they were going forever.' Another resident said: 'I heard a few gunshots and the first thing I thought was that it was fireworks, because you don't expect it to be a gun. 'I was trying to sleep but then later I heard sirens from the police cars.' One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said: 'We were out when it happened so we didn't hear or see anything. 'But when we came back at around 1am, the whole area was cordoned off and the police officers told us that it will be a crime scene for a couple of days.' Forensic officers in scrubs and masks were at the scene on Tuesday afternoon, alongside several police officers.
Irish Times
28-07-2025
- Irish Times
George Nkencho inquest: Hearing of witness evidence delayed until early next year
An inquest into the fatal shooting of George Nkencho by members of the Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU) will see up to 60 witnesses giving evidence, Dublin District Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane has said. Mr Nkencho (27) was shot several times by members of the ASU outside his family home in Clonee, Co Dublin , after he appeared to lunge at gardaí with a knife, in the aftermath of an alleged assault by him at a nearby shop on December 30th, 2020. At a sitting on Monday, Dr Cullinane said she had earlier hoped to hear the witnesses' evidence in the inquest over a period of a little more than two weeks this November. She revised this timeline, however, to 'early in the new year'. Ms Cullinane has previously said two members of the unit directly involved in Mr Nkencho's death would be given anonymity during the inquest in the interest of their security and 'national security'. READ MORE She gave her revised timeline for hearing the testimonies after a discussion with counsel for An Garda Síochána, Ronan Kennedy SC, Aoife Mutch BL for Fiosrú (formerly the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission) and Seoirse Fennessy BL for Mr Nkencho's family. She said a number of issues needed to be addressed before the witness testimony. These included the sharing of a Fiosrú report, issues around pixilating video footage of events surrounding the shooting to protect the identity of those granted anonymity, and documents relating to instructions and training to gardaí. She said the scope of the inquest would also need to be addressed. Mr Kennedy said gardaí had reviewed 252 witness statements but were still in the process of reviewing other material received on June 24th, including the Fiosrú report. He said a 'body of work' remained, over which he would have to consult his client. Mr Kennedy asked if, given the amount of work yet to be undertaken, it was realistic to schedule the witness hearings in November. Dr Cullinane said she would hold a hearing on September 12th. She expressed her hope that An Garda Síochána will have completed its review of documentation by this date, allowing the documentation to be shared with all parties. She said she would correspond with the parties to see if they could share their view on the scope of the inquiry. She said she had wanted to hold the inquest this year, but did not wish to raise expectations among Mr Nkencho's family about the start of the inquest and then disappoint them. 'We won't aim for something that's not possible,' said Ms Cullinane. Directly addressing members of Mr Nkencho's family including his mother Blessing, Dr Cullinane said it was not unusual for dates 'to shift a little.'
