Joseph Gerard Thompson

Joseph Gerard Thompson was shot in the head at about 1am on 14 June 2012 at Ravensthorpe Green.

Another 27-year old man was wounded in the shooting and taken to the University Hospital in Aintree in a critical condition but survived.

It was said that he had been shot by a lone gunman that had ambushed him and fired nine shots at him.

Two men were later arrested in relation to his murder but none were charged.

The police said that they were interested in tracing a dark-coloured Citroen C4 car that had been seen in the area and issued CCTV images of it. The car had earlier been seen on Sedgemoor Road and a little after on Lowerhouse Lane near to the junction with East Lancashire Road.

The police said that Joseph Thompson was known to them and said that they were looking into the possibility that his murder had been related to a recent series of gangland shootings.

Joseph Thompson had been a suspect, along with a number of other people, including Liam Smith, in the murder of Danny McDonald who was shot at the Royal Oak pub in West Derby on New Year’s Day 2004. Liam Smith was also later shot dead in July 2006.

It was also reported that Joseph Thompson had been in the Strand Gang from Norris Green, and that there had been an escalation of infighting between local criminal factions in the area.

The Strand Gang were said to be involved in running underground drugs rackets around Norris Green. They were also known as the Nogga Dogs.

They described Joseph Thompson as high on their radar and it was reported that one of his brothers had also been shot in Croxteth two months earlier but survived.

The police said of Joseph Thompson's murder, 'This was a targeted attack and there can be no doubt as to the intention of the gunman'.

He was also known as Joe Thompson and Smigger.