Teenager seen smiling happily in doorbell camera footage - hours later he was dead

Ellis Cox, 19, from Liverpool, was gunned down by an unknown group earlier this year, with Merseyside Police now releasing a new image of his final hours before he was killed

Police have released a heartbreaking image of a "happy" teenager captured smiling on a doorbell camera just hours before he was shot dead.

Ellis Cox, 19, from Liverpool, was brutally killed on the Liver Industrial Estate at around 11.10pm on June 23. Emergency services rushed to the scene and took him to hospital, where he sadly passed away. Merseyside Police addressed the tragedy and said the teenager was not the target of the shooting.

Investigators believe it could be connected to an ongoing dispute between a group of the teenager's associates, and referenced gang rivalry. A Smart doorbell captured the victim's final hours and showed him collecting a bike from his relative's home. In the picture, he was seen with a wide smile before he travelled to Southport. Later that day, he was gunned down at around 11pm.

His family shared their heartbreak on no longer being able to "watch him grow". In a statement, they said: “This picture of Ellis was taken as he collected the bike from his aunt’s house, happy to be heading off on a bike ride on a lovely sunny day heading to Southport. Even though he was out, he contacted all his cousins that day just checking in to see if they were okay.

"It was just like Ellis to do this. He was so kind and loved his family so much. As we continue to grieve the loss of our beautiful Ellis, the pain does not get any easier and if anything it’s harder, we are broken. We look at the world so differently now and the grief is overwhelming and all-consuming, dividing us all as a family as it’s just too much to bear. We shouldn’t be in this situation. Ellis should still be here with us and living his life, but someone’s cowardly actions mean we will not get to laugh with him again, listen to his stories, watch him grow up and watch him create the amazing life he had planned for himself.

"His nieces are only little and ask where he is all the time and his cousins are just so lost without him, without his presence, his love and his guidance. We miss his one-liners, his jokes, and his hugs. He towered over us all. He was and will always be our gentle giant and we will miss him forever. Our lives will never be the same again."

The family have also directly appealed to people in Liverpool for their help in bringing Ellis' killer to justice, reports Liverpool Echo. They added: “We are still looking for answers and need Liverpool and our local community’s support now more than ever. We are appealing for your help. Who took Ellis from us? Where were you on the evening of June 23 at around 10-11pm. Did you see anything? Did you see Ellis and four other boys on bikes on Long Lane, near the church or by the Liver Industrial Estate? Did you hear anything at all. Were you close to the loopline or maybe on the path itself? Maybe you were on your way home, walking the dog, heading to work or maybe you had been to the shop nearby or the chip shop.

“We are appealing to Uber Eats delivery drivers, Just Eat delivery drivers, Deliveroo delivery drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers or workers on the industrial estate who may have seen anything. Please think and check your dashcams or ring doorbells and ask yourself, were you in the vicinity on the night of June 23?

“We have banners throughout Walton and Aintree as well as the loop line and surrounding areas which provides detail on how you can get in touch with Merseyside Police and do this anonymously if you must. We are also continuing our 10,000 leaflet door drop on Saturday, November 9, so please we are begging you to call if you know anything no matter how small or irrelevant you may believe it to be. Let the police be the judge of that. #Silenceisnotanoption.”

Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “We remain as determined as ever to get justice for Ellis’s family. The investigation into his murder is making progress and we have made four arrests so far, but as yet no one has been charged. We continue to appeal for information, no matter how small, which could be vital to our enquiries.

"I would urge anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area, or who heard anything, to come forward so we can bring his those involved in his murder to justice. There would have been cyclists in the area at that time, including food delivery staff, who use the loop line, and I would urge those who saw something that will help with our enquiries to please come forward. I would appeal to residents nearby and motorists who were in the vicinity at that time to please check your CCTV, doorbell or dashcam for any footage which may have captured activity that may be vital to the investigation.”

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.