The heartbroken father of Elle Edwards today gave an emotional tribute to his 'beautiful' daughter as police still hunt for the gun and the Mercedes getaway car used by her killer.
Tim Edwards has said the family had been shattered by her death outside the Lighthouse Inn, Wallasey Village, Wirral, on Christmas Eve.
Elle was killed by a gunman after getting caught up in what is believed to be a feud among drugs gangs in Merseyside. Police have said Elle was not the intended target of the shooting, that left four others injured.
In an extraordinary and moving statement her father wrote: 'She loved her life and had so many amazing plans for the future. There was no one as beautiful as our Elle May'.
Mr Edwards added: 'We will love and miss her forever. Our Elle May, the most beautiful and bright star out there, forever and always. My beautiful Elle Marlene is the love of my life and she is my world, my best friend. She will always shine and be beautiful and bright'.
Elle Edwards father, Tim Edwards, during a press conference at Merseyside Police Headquarters in Liverpool about the Christmas Eve shooting of his daughter
26-year-old Elle Edwards died in a shooting at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village, near Liverpool, on Christmas Eve
Mr Edwards sat next to Detective Superintendent Sue Coombs from Merseyside Police, who said detectives are working 24/7 to get justice for Elle and her family.
His face was etched in grief as DS Coombs read it for him at a press conference at Merseyside Police headquarters.
Mr Edwards called his daughter: 'Love of my life, my world and best friend'
DS Coombs also revealed they still have not found the dark coloured Mercedes, believed to be an A-class, seen in the pub's car park before the shooting. The gunman used it to flee the scene.
She said: 'We want to know where it came from and where it has gone since.’
Asking for the people of Merseyside to help solve the crime, she said that 'these people don't deserve to be walking out streets. They don't deserve to be protected', adding that 'silence is never an option' for people who have any information.
The senior police officer also said that they needed information about who had provided the gun, and where it was being stored.
Police later revealed three of the men who were shot have been released from hospital.
The fourth man who was in a critical condition was now described as 'poorly' and expected to survive.
Det Coombs said the shots had been fired from outside the Lighthouse Inn.
A 30-year-old man arrested for the murder of beautician Elle Edwards has been recalled to prison, Merseyside Police said today.
The unnamed suspect's return to jail means that he will have breached the terms of his licence after being released recently for previous offences.
The force said a 19-year-old woman from Rock Ferry who was arrested on Monday for conspiracy to murder has been bailed, while a 31-year-old man arrested yesterday remains in custody.
Miss Edwards, 26, died after being hit in the head when a gunman opened fire at a crowd of revellers outside the Lighthouse Inn, Wallasey Village, Wirral.
In a statement released by Merseyside Police, her father Tim said today: 'There was no one as beautiful as our Elle May, her looks, her laugh and the way she would light up a room as soon as she walked in.
'She had this way about her that as soon as you met her you just instantly fell in love with her, everyone that met Elle knew how special she was.
'Her laugh was infectious, anyone who was around her had a good time, she loved her life and had so many amazing plans for the future.
'She was only just getting started. Christmas and our family will never be the same again without her. She was the glue that held this big family together.
'We will love and miss her forever. Our Elle May, the most beautiful and bright star out there, forever and always.
'My beautiful Elle Marlene is the love of my life and she is my world, my best friend.
'She will always shine and be beautiful and bright, my Elle has never gone.'
Detective Superintendent Sue Coombs from Merseyside Police (right) with Elle Edwards father, Tim Edwards during a press conference at Merseyside Police Headquarters in Liverpool
Drone footage released today by Merseyside Police shows the suspect being led out of a house escorted by two officers to a waiting patrol car
Miss Edwards was not the intended target in the shooting and it is believed that she was caught in the crossfire of feuding drug gangs, responsible for a series of tit-for-tat shootings and violent incidents on the peninsular in recent months.
One drinker told The Daily Mirror: 'The lads involved are not from this area. That's why a lot of the locals left about 8pm because they could feel the tension'.
Ian Critchley, Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, revealed officers had yet to find the weapon – believed to be a semi-automatic pistol – which was used to fire up to 12 shots in quick succession. Miss Edwards was killed and four others were shot, including the intended target.
Another witness said one young man was shot in the midriff. She said: 'The manager ran to the lad and was pushing his stomach down. All the staff were helping. It was absolutely horrible. Everyone is devastated.'
Merseyside Police said today: 'Two people arrested in connection with the murder of Elle Edwards have been released from custody.
'A 30-year-old man from Tranmere has been recalled to prison on licence. A 19-year-old woman from Rock Ferry has been bailed.
'A 31-year-old man remains in custody. Enquiries into the murder remain ongoing.'
Police officers at the Lighthouse Inn after the shooting. Witnesses said the atmosphere had turned sour when gang members arrived
Forensics officers in the bar, which was sprayed with bullets
Merseyside's police chief has pledged that her force will be 'relentless' in bringing those responsible for the killing of Elle Edwards to justice. Pictured: Floral tributes at the pub yesterday
Police are still searching for the gun used in the shooting and have appealed to anyone who might be looking after the weapon to give it up.
Miss Edwards's grief-stricken father stood in silence this week at the scene as he viewed floral tributes left for his daughter.
Tim Edwards was accompanied by his son and grandson as he looked at the dozens of bouquets left outside the Lighthouse Inn. He hugged a well wisher who laid flowers at the scene and wiped tears from his eyes as he left.
The road leading to the pub remained cordoned off. Revellers who had parked in the pub car park have been unable to retrieve their vehicles as it is also sealed off by a cordon of blue tape.
Empty beer bottles still stand on the cluster of outside tables where the 26-year-old beautician was killed.
Merseyside Police Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley said the investigation into the 'most callous and appalling murder' of Miss Edwards was 'relentless' and said anyone involved – not just the shooter – would be brought to justice.
Elle's father Tim Edwards, pictured, visited the scene earlier this week to inspect the hundreds of floral tributes left in honour of his daughter
Mr Edwards, pictured right, was embraced by a member of the public on the street just yards from where his daughter was killed
Tim Edward, pictured with his daughter Elle, while on holiday together
At a press conference, he revealed police have yet to recover the gun used in the shooting – thought to be a semi-automatic pistol. At least 12 bullets were fired in a matter of seconds.
Miss Edwards was struck in the head and four men – including one who was understood to be the intended target – injured.
The police chief appealed for anyone who might be hiding the gun to come forward.
Speaking outside the Lighthouse Inn he said:' We will not rest until we bring the people responsible to justice.
'By that I mean the person who pulled the trigger of the gun in the most indiscriminate way, anyone responsible for arranging, facilitating or harbouring this individual or continues to withhold information on who has done this, or where the weapon is that led to this tragic fatality.'
He said his officers were 'determined to find justice for Elle and her family'.
Tim Edwards visits the scene of his daughter's death at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on Boxing Day to lay floral tributes
The Lighthouse pub in Wallasey today, where the shooting happened on Christmas Eve
The Deputy Chief Constable vowed police would target organised crime in the area.
He said work was ongoing to establish whether the weapon used in the attack, which injured four men, could be connected to any other incidents.
Asked whether the attack could be linked to an ongoing feud between gangs in Wirral, Mr Critchley said: 'We have seen over a number of months some level of escalation here.
'There has been real relentless activity in relation to the arrest of a number of people who are now behind bars or remanded in custody, significant seizures of drugs and weapons.'
He urged families of those involved in organised crime to come forward and said: 'You have blood on your hands too if you're a bystander or if you want to live off the profits being gained.'
One of the floral tributes described Elle as 'radiant' and 'an angel'
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley addressed the media from the scene earlier this week. He said a 28-year-old man from Beechwood in Wirral remains in a critical condition following the shooting
The police chief said Miss Edwards's family will now suffer their loss for the rest of their lives, adding: 'I cannot comprehend what they are going through at this moment in time.'
Her father visited the scene of the shooting with his son and grandson shortly before DCC Critchley spoke.
He stood with his head bowed as he read many of the floral tributes that had been left outside the pub.
Friends of Miss Edwards have since told of the horrors of the shooting at the packed pub on Christmas Eve, describing how she had been singing and dancing before hearing bangs 'like fireworks' before they saw her lying on the floor.
Jess, a friend who was with her when she was shot, told Sky News: 'We went to go get a drink and we were at the bar and we just heard bangs, like fireworks. We had been dancing and singing and now she's on the floor.'
'We were so happy. It happened so fast, I can't get it out of my head. I wish we could have done more, but there was nothing else we could have done.'
The parents of Elle Edwards left a heartbreaking tribute to her after she was killed at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve. Her parents wrote: 'To my beautiful Elle, you are the light of my life, you will never be gone'
Miss Edwards's sister Lucy lives in Dubai but had flown home to celebrate Christmas with her family. She left the pub before her sister was shot dead.
In an emotional post on Instagram, she said: 'My beautiful sister, my bestest friend, my second mummy and my rock. I love and miss you so, so much already. My Elle May.'
Friend Jess said: 'People were around her trying to help her — but you can't do anything. I just felt grateful that I am still here but felt guilty because I was with my family on Christmas and she wasn't.'
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