A 30-year-old man was shot dead in what police believe was a targeted killing in the Aigburth area of south Liverpool, while shootings also took place in two other areas of the city and suburbs. The two other incidents, which took place in Kirkdale, north Liverpool, and Kirkby, in Knowsley, are not thought to be related and no-one is thought to have been injured in either location.

The shooting victim in Aigburth is thought to have come from the Croxteth area and police patrols have been stepped up in the area in response. The man's next-of-kin have been informed but he has not yet been formally identified. A postmortem examination is yet to take place.

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The shooting took place on Southwood Road near St Michaels train station at around 10.20 pm on Monday (24 October). Witnesses described hearing a series of shots then seeing the victim lying in a pool of blood.

"I heard five gun shots," one eye witness told the Liverpool Echo. "Two shots, then a gap of about 10 seconds, and three shots. I took blankets and gloves over and he was just lying in a pool of blood. He had definitely been shot in the bottom of the back."

Two or three men are believed to have carried out the attack before running away on foot. The victim was still alive and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11 pm. St Michaels station remained closed on Tuesday (25 October) as forensics teams examined the area.

Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland praised the swift actions of several off-duty doctors who had just got off a train and did their best to save the man's life.

"Last night, a young man tragically lost his life and we are doing everything we can to bring the person or persons responsible to justice. The investigation is in its early stages but we do believe that this was a targeted shooting. Work is ongoing to establish the motive and we are keeping an open mind at present," said Holland in a statement.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 0800 230 0600 or leave information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.