'No motive' for Penny Lane shooting

Aug 26 2007

A policeman stands outside Alma de Santiago nightclub in Penny Lane, Liverpool the scene of a shooting last night.

POLICE say they have yet to establish the motive behind the shooting for two doormen work outside a Penny Lane nightclub.

The men were shot outside Alma de Santiago nightclub in Penny Lane at 10.30pm on Friday.

One of the victims suffered a stomach injury and is in a critical condition. The other is being treated for leg wounds in hospital.

Roads around the nightclub, in the Mossley Hill area of the city, were cordoned off as officers carried out inquiries.

The doormen were aged 35 and 44 and police said they did not yet have a possible motive for the attack.

Officers believe a gunman travelled to the scene in a dark coloured hatchback car, which may have had other passengers.

A force spokeswoman said: “The public will notice a raised level of police visibility in the area.”

She said officers would be carrying out house to house inquiries.

A resident who lives near the nightclub said: “The city feels like it did when James Bulger was killed.”

Speaking about the bar where the doormen were shot, the resident, who did not want to be identified, said: “There has been no trouble like this here before, it is usually quiet.

“The pub changed hands approximately two years ago when it was called The Dovedale Towers, it was a neighbourhood pub then.

“The bar has become expensive and gone upmarket in a bid to improve the area.

“I don’t think these shootings have anything to do with the murder of Rhys Jones. I think this is doorman-related."