Wall of silence and one missing piece of evidence prolongs agony for family of slain teen

Ellis Cox, 19, was just minutes away from his home when he was gunned down

On the first anniversary of their son’s death, the family of a teenager shot dead are enduring “hell” as they await justice. Ellis Cox was just 19 when he was murdered on Sunday, June 23, 2024, near the Liverpool Loop Line, also known as The Ralla.

Ellis had been cycling and was only moments from his Walton home when he was fatally shot close to the Liver Industrial Estate. Despite several arrests by Merseyside Police in relation to the murder, no charges have yet been brought.

A year on from the tragic incident, Ellis’ family believe people who have vital information about his death are choosing to stay silent, preventing his killers from being brought to justice.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, leading the investigation, has recently suggested that the murder may be connected to gang tensions in the Rice Lane and Walton area, with police needing just one “key piece of evidence” to take the investigation forward.

The firearm used to kill Ellis, a self-loading pistol, was also involved in another shooting at a flat on Willowdale Road, Walton; however, the weapon has not been found, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Speaking to the ECHO from her home in Walton ahead of the anniversary, Ellis’s mum Carolyn Cox, along with her sister Julie O’Toole, continued their appeal for those with information about the teenager’s death to come forward.

Carolyn said: “It’s hell. It’s been 12 months but it feels like a week ago. Why are the people who took Ellis still going home to their mums and Ellis isn’t coming home to us?”

Julie added: “Yesterday, I was thinking of all the things that he’s missed. He’s missed out on his future. You’re just going through the motions. Ultimately, the aim for us is to get justice for Ellis. Until we get that, we’re not going to be able to move forward.”

Carolyn would like Ellis to be remembered as a “gentle giant” who was ferociously loyal to his friends and family. She said: ”Everybody knew if they had a problem they should ring Ellis because he’d calm you down and reassure you.

“And then at the end of it, you would be laughing because he was so funny. Even though he was 19, he would always hug and kiss you.”

For the first time, the family revealed Ellis was training to be a plumber at the time of his death. He also had a girlfriend and planned to travel the world.

Julie said: ”He had a girlfriend. He was in love. He had big dreams and wanted to see the world. He talked to me a lot about the beaches in Thailand and how blue the water was. But they’ve taken that future away from him.”

Ellis was cycling with four friends when they were approached by “one to three males on two electric bikes” at around 10.50pm. One of the group on the electric bikes opened fire and pumped three shots towards Ellis and his friends. Ellis, on a pedal bike, had attempted to flee the scene but was shot in the back.

But there was little to indicate anything unusual was happening in Ellis’ life shortly before he died. He had his long hair cut short and, in terms of socialising, he’d normally go around to the house of a family member or a friend.

Going out with a different group of friends on a bike ride was a change for him but it didn’t worry the family. Their main anxiety was Ellis falling off his bike.

Carolyn said: “It wasn’t a concern for me because I knew he had a lot of friends and sometimes they would pop back up in his life, so I wasn’t worried at all. When he was late coming home, we thought he’d probably fell off his bike – that’s the worst thing you think is going to happen.

“I’ve always had my kids wrapped in cotton wool and would have locked them in their room if I could. But you’ve got to let them go out and you should be allowed to do that.”

Despite the murder taking place minutes from their home, both they and the police are still in the dark about exactly what happened on the bike ride home.

Julie said: “It’s a mystery for us because no one’s coming forward. It’s not a mystery to a lot of people out there and they’ve got the answers that we need.

“Someone will know, or multiple people will know. They’re just as in the wrong as the person who carried the gun because they’re keeping them hidden.”

DCI McGrath previously said the shootings in the area happened because of rival “street level dealers” trying to “protect their turf” – and the friends with Ellis on the night of his murder have been identified as having links to criminality.

The detective has now revealed another gun connected to these turf wars has been seized although the hunt to find the pistol that killed Ellis continues.

He told the ECHO: ”My belief is that this incident occurred due to an ongoing dispute that’s been happening in the Rice Lane and Walton area. I have been looking at people who are involved in that dispute and the wider criminality around that. I anticipate that we will take further action in relation to that in the not too distant future.“

“The dispute that we’re looking at is quite localised. We’re talking about two groups potentially who are in the Walton area and they all frequent the same areas. We’re heavily reliant on witnesses coming forward. We’re still looking for that key piece of evidence really that would take this to a charging decision.

“But one of our key lines of inquiry in this case is to locate and cover that firearm. There’s no indication that the firearm has been used after Ellis’ murder. However, we have to keep an open mind.

“We have recovered a firearm, I believe, over the last couple of days that will be subject to a forensic investigation. It’s not the type of firearm that was used in the murder of Ellis unfortunately.”

Another complexity is the Ralla itself. Parts of the path are heavily overgrown and dimly lit. There wouldn’t have been many people using it late on a Sunday night when Ellis was shot and the suspects were not captured on CCTV.

The past 12 months have seen Carolyn and Julie put themselves front and centre in appeals for more information. Events from mass leaflet drops to a celebrity football match were organised.

Today will be no different. They have arranged for a number of digital screens across the city to display the appeal for information. Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall and the Cunard building in Liverpool city centre will all light up in Ellis’s favourite colour, orange.

In spite of the deafening silence from those with knowledge about what happened on that fateful summer night, the sisters are adamant they won’t give up.

Julie said: “The truth will ultimately come out. It’s just a matter of time and we have absolutely every faith, but we’re constantly appealing to people to just dig deep and think, what if it was me? What if it was my boy?

“We just keep saying, come on, just back us up and stop hiding them. We know that there’s intel constantly coming in and we know that those phone lines don’t stop ringing.”

Carolyn said: “Why should they get to be with their family? Why should they be allowed to enjoy the sunshine and go home to their mum? My Ellis can’t.

“That’s what drives us, that’s what gets us up in the morning. We are not going to let them get away with taking Ellis from us.”

If you have any information, you can visit Merseyside Police’s dedicated website to submit information or footage which can help in the investigation of Ellis’s murder.

You can also contact the force via social media @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 24000554719.

Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE