Shots fired at Bootle property as 'little girl was playing in front garden'

at a house while a little girl played in the front garden of a neighbouring property tonight.

Residents in Bootle, Merseyside, where shocked to see armed police swarm their street this evening, following reports of gunfire. Officers found damage to the front wall of a house but luckily no one, including the youngster, was injured.

But forensic teams remain at the scene and roads are closed to aid the investigation. One neighbour said: "I got home at 6.30pm and all the police were here. A little girl was in one of the front gardens when they fired the gun. No one was hurt. Police have blocked off the road and no one can get in or out."

say it was a "targeted attack," said to have been carried out by a bearded man wearing a camouflage jacket on William Henry Street, a residential street near docklands in Boote, which is just north of Liverpool. High visibility patrols have been stepped up in the area tonight, it is understood.

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Another woman who lives on the road said she was out when it happened but was told by another neighbour how they "heard gunshots", and another man said he saw armed police when he looked out the window while at home.

He told : "There was armed police here. I was completely oblivious to it. I was washing the dishes and looking after my little one when it actually happened but then armed police arrived."

Another woman, who lives on an adjacent street, said: "I'm so shocked, I was in most of the afternoon and heard nothing. I have been living here for 15 years and never seen anything like this on the road before."

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House-to-house enquiries are underway in the area. Detective Inspector Keith Swift, from Merseyside Police, said: "An investigation into the full circumstances of this incident is ongoing, however, we do believe it was a targeted attack.

"I would appeal to anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area around Owen Road shortly before, or after the incident, to contact us. Information they have could be vital."

The latest gun offence comes after in a possible case of mistaken identity. Joanne Penney, 40, died at the scene last month, following which a 42-year-old man was arrested. Police said the investigation moved at a quick pace as officers tried to establish a motive for Ms Penney's heinous killing.