Dad screamed 'I'm dying' after being shot while lying on couch

A dad-of-three was gunned down just two weeks after getting divorced as he stayed at his friend's house - and his killer has never been caught. Paul Mooney was staying with a friend during the early hours in a bungalow on Helston Road in Croxteth.

Paul, who was 35 at the time of his death, was shot in the chest with a shotgun while lying on the couch at Mark Rae's house on November 13, 2004. Three teens were arrested soon after the killing before being charged and pleading not guilty to not murder.

Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in 2006, the three accused were found not guilty by a jury. Reports from the time tell how Paul was involved in the buying and selling of drugs at the time of his death but detectives quickly ruled out a gangland-style killing.

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One of the three accused was Blake Brown, who was 19 at the time of the trial, and was later also shot dead in another unsolved murder. He was gunned down on the streets of Aigburth near to a bail hostel where he was living on Southwood Road, close to St Michael's train station, on September 16, 2016.

Following the death of Paul, his ex-wife made an emotional appeal for information that would lead Merseyside Police to the killer. Mandy Moore previously told the ECHO in 2010: "To some people, six years is a long time, but I still think about what happened to Paul all the time.

“My kids are at that stage now, asking, ‘why and what for?’ I can’t give them the answers they’re looking for. You think it will go away, but it doesn’t. It’s the last thing I think of when I go to bed and the first thing when I wake up.

“Even though police insist the case isn’t closed, I don’t think anybody will ever be convicted of Paul’s murder.”

During the trial, it was reported how Mark Rae remembered being in the kitchen and making toast when he heard a bang followed by the victim lying on the sofa, crying: “I’m dying!”

Ms Moore added: “Paul was a family man who lived for his kids. I met him when I was 12 and we were together for 21 years. I remember I’d gone to the sweet shop to get some bread that morning. I hadn’t heard about it until a young lad asked me if I’d heard what happened to Paul.

"I went blank and got back in my car to drive home. When I got there the police were already there. There are people in Croxteth who know why this happened and they can still give information to the police. A wall of silence has gone up and I can’t understand why they can’t go to the police and help the investigation.”

Almost 20 years on from the murder, detectives continue to appeal for information that can help them bring Paul's killer to justice. Kevin Clague, head of Merseyside Police's Serious Crime Review Unit, said: “It is nearly 20 years since Paul’s death and his family and friends still don’t have the answers they need.

“A long time has now passed but no murder investigation is ever truly closed and we will always act on new information. If you have information that can help with the investigation then please come forward and tell us what you know. Your information could really make a difference and help us bring those responsible to justice.”

Anyone with information is urged to DM @MerPolCC or call 101. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.