Appeal for information as £20,000 reward issued for information on murder of Yusuf Sonko in 2017

Detectives investigating the murder of Yusuf Sonko are offering a £20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for his death in Toxteth in June 2017.

At around 8.30pm on Friday, 2 June 2017, a report was received from officers on patrol of a man being found injured on Tagus Street, at the back of the shops on Lodge Lane, in the Toxteth area of the city.

Emergency services arrived at the scene and found 18-year-old Yusuf, who had been shot in the street. Yusuf was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital where he died a short while later.

A number of men have been arrested and remain under investigation in connection with the murder, but detectives are urging anyone with information to come forward and assist. We want to speak to anyone who saw the shooting or has heard any information since and not yet come forward.

We are also recirculating the image of Jason Curry, who detectives still need to speak to in connection with their enquiries.

Detectives Chief Inspector Mark Baker said: "We hope that the second anniversary of the tragic death of Yusuf will serve as a reminder of the devastation that gun crime causes to families and communities, and the importance of telling us what you know.

"Serious investigations can take time, and we still believe that people within the L8 and wider communities hold information which may be vital to putting those responsible before the courts.

“Yusuf's family have continually appealed, marched and pleaded with people to share this information, and I can only emphasise how vital this is to giving them some form of justice and closure to ease their pain. Yusuf’s family and friends deserve to know who was responsible, and we stand with them in doing all we can to ensure justice is done, but as always, information is the key.

"Arrests have been made and people remain under investigation, our extensive enquiries continue day-to-day, and we continue to seek the whereabouts of Jason Curry, an individual with whom we still to speak as a priority.

“You can speak to us directly in the strictest confidence if you haven’t already done so, or through the charity Crimestoppers, which is anonymous and completely independent of the police. Any information provided will be closely investigated and acted upon by detectives. Your information could help us make significant progress in this investigation.

“We have previously appealed for Jason Curry to contact us and today I want to emphasise that we still need to speak to him, and will continue to do so. We believe that Jason, who also frequents Wrexham in North Wales and Cumbria, may have important information which could help us with our investigation and I would urge him, or anyone who knows of his whereabouts, to contact us as soon as possible.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or saw anything suspicious is urged to contact our gun crime hotline on 0800 230 0600 or leave information anonymously and for free with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also use their online form anonymously: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online.