Terrified shoppers “ran and shouted” after it was reported that a man had fired a gun at the Halifax bank
Emergency services arrived at Bootle’s Strand Mall around 12.25pm today (Monday). Police cordoned off the scene inside the center while the shaken staff was being driven.
A store worker described seeing a woman with a small child running from the center, screaming for help. Another said he “heard a blow” followed by ordinary people.
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Lorraine Walsh, who runs a vaporization stop near the bank’s facilities inside the center, said: “It was just chaos, terrifying. There were people screaming and running. At first I thought it was a terrorist attack.
“I’m in shock and we were all very scared. I didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
A few customers took refuge in a store that closed its shutters when the chaos began.
Pauline Redmond, deputy manager of the Shush women’s fashion store inside the center, said:
Merseyside police scene at Strand Mall, Bootle, Liverpool. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
“It could be said that they were terrified by the looks on their faces. I didn’t know if anyone was running with a gun. I ran into the store and lowered the shutters. There were a few elderly customers who were also inside. “
The section of the corridor where the incident took place was cordoned off by police this afternoon, but the rest of the mall remained open.
Detectives have opened an investigation and forensic investigations are underway to determine if a gun was fired.
The suspect is described as a slender-looking white man about 5 feet 11 inches tall. At the time of the incident, his face was covered, he was wearing dark clothes and a Puma sweatshirt. CCTV and witness investigations continue to locate him. No cash was believed to have been stolen from the bank during the incident.
Mall officials said the Halifax bank would remain closed until further notice, along with two other stores: The Perfume Shop and Game.
Chief Inspector Gary O’Rourke added: “If you are driving in the Bootle Strand area and have images from the dashboard, please review them and let us know if you see anything, especially A man on a bicycle is described, and our agents will be at the scene outside the Bootle Mall while thorough inquiries are made and to reassure the local community, so please come talk to them and let us know if you have any information that may help our research.
“There is no room for guns and those who use them on our streets, so please tell us what you know and help us put the person in charge in court.”
Anyone who has witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Center’ on Facebook or call 101 at 22000373098. You can also call Crimestoppers, from anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or on their online form. on line.
Anyone with a video of the incident can upload it to the police via the following link on the NICE website: digital-policing.co.uk
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