Two men to be jailed after carrying out shooting in Hull
Liam Roscoe and James Connor travelled to the city to carry out the attack last summer
Last updated 6th Feb 2024
Two men who shot a gun at a property in Hull as part of a targeted attack will now be sentenced after one was found guilty of firearms offences on Friday 2 February and the other pleaded to offences on Friday 26 January at Hull Crown Court.
Liam Roscoe, 24, of Birkrig, Skelmersdale was charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and remanded into custody following the incident last year.
James Connor, 26, of Statton Road, Liverpool was also charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, after admitting he attended the property.
On Thursday 20 July 2023, police received a call from a resident at 4.42pm reporting gunshots had been fired at a property on River Grove in Hull.
Officers were immediately deployed to the scene and upon arrival, discovered a bullet hole through the front window.
A second bullet had also been fired at the front door through the video doorbell, subsequently smashing a mirror inside the address. Thankfully no one was injured.
Detective Chief Inspector Jayne Goodens leading the investigation said: “Following the report to police, enquiries swiftly commenced to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, this included extensively reviewing CCTV footage in and around the area, conducting house-to-house enquiries, tracing any witnesses, mobile phone data analysis and carrying out forensic examination of the scene.
“From the CCTV footage, two men were seen fleeing the scene of the shooting in orange high visibility clothing before getting into a car and driving along Hessle Road, where the vehicle was identified as being registered to Connor.
“Further enquiries were conducted to trace the movements of the vehicle and it was discovered it had travelled from the Liverpool area prior to the incident, stopping at a location in Skelmersdale before travelling to Hull.
“CCTV enquiries conducted in the Skelmersdale area showed Connor attending a local pub prior to his journey to Hull, where he met another man who officers identified as Roscoe. Both men left the pub together in Connor's vehicle, and then returned to the pub following the incident in Hull."
Following further CCTV enquiries at the scene of the shooting and within the local area, footage showed Connor and Roscoe parking up at 3.44pm and walking past to scope out the address ahead of the shooting.
Our investigations continued and as part of our enquiries, a dedicated team of officers worked alongside Merseyside and Lancashire Police to execute a series of warrants at properties in the areas of Liverpool and Skelmersdale.
On Monday 3 August, officers carried out a search of a property on Crosswood Crescent, Liverpool where Connor was located and arrested.
As a result of all the enquiries undertaken, on Thursday 24 August, Roscoe was arrested at Liverpool Airport where he was found using another person’s details to travel.
Both Roscoe and Connor were transferred back to the Humberside area, interviewed by detectives, and charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Following a five-day trial at Grimsby Crown Court, the jury returned a guilty verdict for Roscoe, and him alongside Connor will now be sentenced on Friday 15 March.
Detective Chief Inspector Jayne Goodens continues: “This was an extremely dangerous act and it’s only down to sheer luck that no one was stood in the hallway where the shots were fired, which could have very easily resulted in someone being seriously injured or killed.
“Roscoe and Connor deliberately targeted a residential property, having no regard for the occupants or their safety, and fired gunshots with the intention to cause fear and violence within our communities.
“I am pleased the jury has reached today’s verdict, which will put Connor and Roscoe behind bars where they can no longer cause harm to our residents.
“Incidents of this nature are thankfully rare in our area, and I hope that the investigation and conviction of both men sends a clear message that it will not be tolerated.
“I hope the outcome provides communities with the reassurance that we are there, in your communities, to support and take swift action, against those responsible for serious offences and bring them to justice through the determination of detectives from our Major Crime Team and our colleagues at Merseyside and Lancashire Police.
“I would like to thank members of the public who assisted this investigation to enable our team to establish the facts of the case and identify those responsible.”
If you have any information about crime in your area, please report it via our non-emergency 101 line or by speaking to local officers whilst they are out and about. Always call 999 in an emergency or if there is a crime ongoing.
If you would prefer to report information anonymously you can do so via the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.