Innocent man shot while going to the chippy

An innocent man was blasted in the legs with a shotgun outside his own home while walking to the chip shop. Daniel Lawless was caught on camera "showing the weapon off to his friends" in a pub car park before shooting his victim in an apparent case of mistaken identity. The incident was said to have come against a background of "petty, tit-for-tat retaliation" between rival gangs, leaving the bloodied casualty dragging himself back into his house for safety and asking: "Why did he still shoot me if I wasn't the person he wanted to shoot? It was nothing to do with me." Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday afternoon that David Forbes left his home on the evening of February 28 last year and began walking towards a chip shop in order to pick up food for his family. Having crossed Cubert Road in Croxteth , he then noticed a masked Lawless dropping a white plastic bag and running towards him. Simon Christie, prosecuting, described how the 23-year-old, of no fixed address, was wearing all black clothing and "mumbled something indistinct" before pointing a shotgun towards Mr Forbes, who "has no connection whatsoever with the defendant or any of his associates", and opening fire. The complainant recalled a "bang and a flash" before he fell to the floor and realised that he had been shot in the legs. Mr Forbes then "dragged himself back to his house", where his stepson recalled him entering the property and crying "I've been shot". Mr Christie added: "Mr Forbes believed this to be a case of mistaken identity. He was entirely correct. This was a deliberate shooting of a wholly innocent person who was nothing whatsoever to do with the defendant." The shooting left Mr Forbes with "nasty injuries to his lower leg", having initially spent a fortnight in hospital before later being readmitted for four weeks after developing blood clots. He has since undergone multiple operations and skin grafts and still has hundreds of shotgun pellets left embedded within his legs. Having been unable to attend yesterday's sentencing hearing due to continuing medical procedures, Mr Forbes said in a statement which was read to the court on his behalf: "I wanted to look at him directly and ask him why? I have no knowledge of why this happened. "I was the wrong person at the wrong time. I'm glad it happened to me. Initially, my stepson was going to the chip shop. I decided to go instead. He's struggled with what's happened and struggled with his exams during his third year at university. "I'd just like to know why he did this to me. I was just going to the shop. Why did he still shoot me if I wasn't the person he wanted to shoot? It was nothing to do with me." CCTV footage earlier showed Lawless leaving an address on Petherick Road on foot shortly after 10pm and continuing into the car park of the Lobster pub, where he was seen to produce the shotgun from his carrier bag and show the weapon to three males standing outside. Having then walked away in order to carry out the shooting, he subsequently ran from the scene of the assault, briefly returned again and left once more, at which stage he was observed "gesturing towards the males in the car park". Arriving back on Petherick Road, Lawless was shown entering a parked car around 20 minutes later in possession of a backpack and thereafter "disappearing". He then returned to the address in a taxi at around 7.15am the following day wearing a dressing gown and carrying a black rucksack, with the gun never being recovered by police. Lawless' previous convictions include 10 months for making threats with an offensive weapon in a public place in January 2023. He was then handed five years and four months for wounding with intent in July 2025, having "thrown boiling hot sugar water over his cellmate, causing significant injuries" while behind bars. Charles Lander, defending, told the court that Lawless had suffered the death of his grandmother earlier this week before adding: "It is accepted that Mr Forbes is an entirely innocent victim of the defendant's behaviour. This young defendant is clearly facing a lengthy period of imprisonment. "Clearly, probation and the Prison Service are trying to work with him. He is a defendant who suffers with a number of issues. His parents have come to court. They have been highly supportive throughout these proceedings. "They express their utmost sympathy to Mr Forbes and his family. They cannot believe that they are in a position where they are sitting in a courtroom listening to these serious acts committed by their son. "The defendant has taken the opportunity of finding trusted employment as wing cleaner in prison. Clearly, there have been some concerns about how he has behaved in prison. There have been significant issues with his mental health. "His position in prison has been made more difficult by threats that are being made. Clearly, these are threats that have been persisting for some time. Obviously, the defendant dealt with one threat in a highly disproportionate way by obtaining a weapon in February of last year. "He is still relatively young. He is determined, when released from prison, that he is going to leave Liverpool, leave the various associates who he stupidly hung around with in the younger part of his life and, ultimately, be a member of society his parents can be proud of." Williams admitted wounding with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, with a previous charge of attempted murder being ordered to lie on the file. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he appeared to wipe his eyes with his blue Montirex t-shirt before he was jailed for 18-and-a-half years and handed an additional four years on licence. Sentencing, Judge Garrett Byrne said: "Mr Forbes was a totally innocent member of the public. He did not know you. He did not associate with you or any of your friends. He had nothing to do with any criminal group. He was simply walking to a chip shop to get some food. "You left your home carrying a loaded shotgun in a plastic bag. Your face was covered. You intended to shoot someone as part of some petty, tit-for-tat retaliation. You showed the weapon off to your friends. "What happened next has been captured quite clearly on CCTV. You pointed the weapon at Mr Forbes and discharged it once at close proximity. Mr Forbes managed to drag himself back to his home address, badly injured and covered in blood. He sustained serious injuries to both legs below the knees. "His injuries required several bouts of surgery. Mr Forbes speaks to both the ongoing physical and psychological harm that he experiences. He can no longer do many things he previously enjoyed doing and had to give up his job. "The unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition are of grave concern to society. They can be used to main and kill. Innocent members of the public, as in this case, are put at risk of serious injury or worse. "There are permanent and irreversible injuries here. A significant aggravating feature is your previous convictions. I find no particularly compelling mitigation."