Police hunt Liverpool 'gunman after two men enter nursery armed'

Man carrying weapon reportedly approached another man at the nursery, before leaving with a second man on a motorbike

Merseyside police are hunting for an alleged gunman after two men reportedly entered a nursery carrying a firearm in Wavertree this morning.

Officers descended on the area at about 8.10am to reports a man had entered the Childsplay of Liverpool centre on Heathfield Road and “appeared to be carrying a firearm”.

The man carrying the weapon then reportedly approached another man at the nursery who provide childcare for children from three months to five years old, before leaving with a second man on a motorbike.

No one is reported to have been injured and there is no suggestion a firearm was discharged.

Police are in attendance at the nursery to offer reassurance to pupils and parents and crime scene investigators are carrying out forensic examinations at the scene.

House-to-house inquiries are being conducted in the area and high visibility patrols have been stepped up to reassure the public.

Detective Chief Inspector John Webster said: “The investigation is in its very early stages and we are keeping an open mind as to why this has happened, but we believe it was targeted and that the men were looking for a man who was in the nursery at the time who is not a member of staff.

“I'm sure the vast majority of people in the community will be appalled to find that two men have walked into a nursery reportedly carrying a firearm when children and their parents were arriving at the start of the day.

"We look to the community to help us by providing information to bring those responsible to justice. We need to identify the people responsible and put them before the courts before they cause any further harm in our communities.

“This is another reminder that criminals involved in gun crime have no regard for anyone else and I would urge the local community to come together to help us take a stand against the use of firearms and violence on our streets and report anything they saw or heard to us so we can take action.

“If anyone witnessed the men before or after the incident, or saw anything suspicious that could help us investigate this incident, then please contact our gun crime hotline on 0800 230 0600 or leave information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”