Man charged with murder of dad shot on doorstep

A man has been charged with murder 12 months after a dad was shot yards from his children in Kirkby.

Rikki Berry, known by his nickname Nuggy, was struck by four bullets fired by 27-year-old Michael Smith on 17 July 2024.

Mr Berry, 36, was in the open doorway of his partner's home on Quarryside Drive and collapsed inside where his then 13-year-old son and four-year-old daughter were present.

Three men have already been jailed for life over the killing but Merseyside Police has now charged Ryan Walsh-Westhead, 24, with murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Mr Walsh-Westhead, from Burscough Street in Ormskirk, was arrested on Thursday exactly one year on from Mr Berry's murder.

A 45-year-old woman from Kirkby, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released under investigation.

In February this year Smith, 27 and from Kirkby, was convicted of murder alongside Adam Williams, 26 and from St Helens, and Connor Walsh, 26 and from Kirkby.

Smith and Williams were given life sentences with minimum terms of 31 years while Walsh was handed a 30-year minimum term.

The jury had heard Smith had opened fire from the back of an electric bike with a handgun at 18:30 BST after pulling up on the kerb outside the house.

Det Insp Graeme Osborne said: "We have charged a man in connection with the murder of Rikki Berry and I would like to remind people that this is a live investigation.

"Please be mindful that anything posted or shared on social media could jeopardise proceedings, so please support us as we move forward with the case. The best way to help is to pass information on through official channels."

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