Man, 19, told mum he'd be home for tea minutes before he was shot dead

The family of a murdered teenager have issued a heartbreaking plea for information. Ellis Cox was fatally shot by an unknown group close to Taskers, on the Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree, at around 11.10pm on Sunday, June 23 this year.

A police probe currently indicates Ellis, who is not linked to any criminality, was not the target of the shooting and it could be linked to an ongoing dispute between a group of the teenager’s associates and a rival street gang. Police have made four arrests in connection with Ellis' murder but no one has been charged.

However, in recent months Ellis’ family have said the investigation into the teenager’s death is being held by a “wall of silence” with those with information about the case not speaking out. His auntie Julie O’Toole, along with Ellis’ parents Carolyn Cox and Chris Woods, have been tirelessly campaigning for people to come forward under the motto of “silence is not an option”.

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As part of these efforts, the family asked the Plaza Community Cinema in Waterloo to produce a short film which would run before the showings on Saturday. The Plaza agreed and around 70 members of Ellis' family members and friends turned up to watch it on Saturday (November 23).

Those in attendance wore hoodies printed with a photo of Ellis’ face along with the slogan ‘silence is not an option’. The film shows pictures of Ellis and his family along with details about how to send over information. The final caption said: “For Ellis: silence is not an option.”

Speaking to the ECHO last week about the new appeal, Julie said: “Martin (Fol), the owner, has been so supportive of our appeal and has created a video which is shown before every movie. The video shows Ellis and talks about the night he was taken from us and appealing for those responsible to come forward or anyone who has heard or seen anything relating to that night to speak up.

“We will continue to appeal and have Ellis’s story out there until those responsible are brought to justice. Please scan the barcode on the video if you have any information this can be done anonymously. Please help us. For Ellis.”

The Plaza has also shared the video on its social media channels, adding: “Ellis Cox’s family contacted The Plaza to see if we could help jog someone’s memory regarding his fatal shooting on June 23. The Plaza offer our support to the family by posting a short video we made.”

On the day Ellis was shot, the 19 year-old had turned up at the house of his auntie, Julie O’Toole, and her husband Kev. Ellis asked them for a bike as he and his friends were planning to get the train to Southport and ride back via the Liverpool Loop Line, known locally as the Ralla, which is close to their house.

Doorbell footage released earlier this month shows him smiling on Julie’s doorstep just before he headed out. The friends got the train from Aintree to Ormskirk.

Officers believe the group hung out around the Edge Hill University campus before getting the train back to Maghull and riding through Melling and Aintree. Their journey took them through the industrial estate towards the Liverpool Loop Line, which led up to where Ellis lived.

Talking through the events of that fateful day, Julie said: “My husband was doing bits in our house, and I was in my sister's. Ellis was there and he was like, ‘oh, have you got a bike?’ I was like, ‘oh God, love, I don't know, we've probably got a few in the shed.’”

Despite some reluctance from Kev, Julie persuaded him to give Ellis a lift back to her house and pick up a bike. The next morning at around 1am, Julie was woken up by her husband and realised he was on the phone to her sister Carolyn.

She said: "I was instantly thinking someone's knocked him off his bike. And then she said, there's something about him being shot. I can't even remember getting to the hospital, to be honest, I can't remember any of that.

"The only next thing I can remember after that is the policeman telling us that he'd passed away. My husband had to go and identify him. And that was the last thing I really remember about the hospital. I have two brothers. Apparently I told one of them and my sister's best friend about it. I can't remember any of that. It was horrendous."

On the lack of information about why Ellis was killed that night, she added: “We've been thrown into this world that none of us knew existed. We're very law-abiding. I've seen some things in the past and called Crimestoppers - I thought that was the norm. I've realised how naïve I am.

"It is frustrating and I don't know the reasons why. Maybe it's fear. I don't know, but we're not going to stop until obviously we find who took him from us, it’s as simple as that.”

Ellis was on his way home at the time of the attack. Mum Carolyn previously told the ECHO: “I phoned him a few times throughout the day. In my last one I told him it was time to come home because he had work the next day. I asked where he was and he said he was right by ours.

“I said ‘come on then, your tea is made’ and he said he would be five minutes. That was how close he was. The last thing I said to him was be careful - I must have told him that 100 times a day. I then waited on the front step for him to come home.”

The cinema video follows on from a huge mail drop two weeks ago lead by Ellis' family and friends along with officers from Merseyside Police.

The group walked from L9, close to the loop line and the area where Ellis was killed, to the city centre. The family have also placed banners across Walton and Aintree as well as the loop line and surrounding areas providing details on how to get in touch with Merseyside Police.

If you have any information, you can visit Merseyside Police's dedicated web page to submit information or footage which can help in the investigation of Ellis’s murder: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/05MP23M53-PO1. You can also contact police via social media @MerPolCC or call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000554719.