GUNMAN SNARED
Moment Elle Edwards’ killer was arrested in Tesco as he headed for romantic ‘prosecco and petals’ trip with girlfriend
THIS is the dramatic moment Elle Edwards' killer was arrested in Tesco as he headed for a romantic break with his girlfriend.
Connor Chapman, 23, was on the run from police for murdering the beautician, 26, when he travelled to Wales.
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The killer had been planning a four-day "prosecco and petals" romantic trip with his lover in Penllwyn Lodges.
But he was snared while shopping in a Tesco supermarket in Newton on January 10 - 17 days after Elle was shot dead.
It comes as...
- Connor Chapman was today convicted of murdering Elle Edwards
- Chapman can be seen opening fire in the car park after lying in wait for three hours
- Elle's dad branded Chapman an 'absolute scumbag' who couldn't look him in the eye
- The beautician could be seen laughing with pals just moments before the horror unfolded
Footage shows officers swooping on Chapman in the shop as they rush to detain him and his girlfriend.
The killer was bundled to the ground and pinned down before being arrested on suspicion of murder.
Once in custody, shameless Chapman made a string of remarks that showed his lack of remorse.
PC Sean Gates, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: "While we made that he made a comment saying he was gutted because he was going to hand himself in on Monday because he didn't want to be arrested.
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"He said was not fussed about being here in the custody suite for murder but more about newspaper articles naming and shaming him as they had done to others.”
Chapman also suggested he didn’t care about being arrested for murder as “they didn’t have anything on me”.
The killer was today convicted of murdering Elle, who was caught in the crossfire of a deadly gang war.
Jurors heard how the beautician was with friends for an “enjoyable night out” on Christmas Eve last year.
Just moments before the shooting, she was seen smiling and hugging her friends inside the pub unaware of the horror waiting outside.
Tragically, “wholly innocent” Elle had just popped out for a cigarette when she was hit in the back of the head.
One bullet passed through her skull and brain and exited just above her right eye, while the second travelled into her brain causing “irrecoverable” injuries.
Her death was described as a “human tragedy in its purest and most appalling sense”.
Chapman used a Skorpion sub-machine gun – a Czech firearm designed for the security services and the army – to carry out the brutal attack.
The weapon is so powerful that on fully-automatic mode, it can empty a magazine of 15 bullets quicker than a sneeze.
On the night Elle was killed, the gun was in semi-automatic mode with an initial volley of seven shots were fired by the gunman, before a further two shots, a brief pause and then another three shots.
The intended targets of the shooting were actually Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld, who were injured in the attack.
Tensions had boiled over following a “history of trouble” between rival groups from the Woodchurch and Ford estates, on either side of the M53 in the Wirral.
Chapman had been served with an injunction in the months before the shooting, aimed at preventing gang-related violence.
This was said to be about as much use as a “chocolate teapot” in deterring the violent criminal.
The day after the horror, Chapman drove the stolen Mercedes to the home of pal and co-defendant Thomas Waring.
The car, which was seen on CCTV at the pub, was later found burnt out in an isolated spot in Frodsham, Cheshire.
Waring, who refused to give evidence during the trial, claims a man who is not naming attended his home on Christmas Eve to borrow the vehicle, which was a “pool car” used by drug dealers.
A single particle of gunshot residue was found on the back of a red glove seized at his home.
Chillingly, just four days after the shooting, Chapman posted a message on Facebook calling for calm in the community.
During his evidence, the criminal attempted to paint himself as a changed man after spending his youth in and out of prison.
Chapman has a string of convictions ranging from burglary, driving offences and shoplifting to possession of a weapon, car theft and assault.
He denied he was part of an “organised crime group” and instead claimed he was a cocaine dealer at a “very, very low level”.
On the night Elle was murdered, the gunman insisted he was at home all night wrapping presents for Christmas.
He claimed another man had made arrangements to use the Mercedes that evening as he sought to cover his tracks.
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Chapman will be sentenced at a later date.
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