Rhys murder hunt: Four arrested

Two men, aged 20 and 24, and two boys, aged 17 and 16, all from the Liverpool area, were detained this morning.

They will be questioned by Merseyside Police later today.

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The arrests came as police appealed for a second anonymous witness to come forward who could have vital information about the tragic shooting.

Police said that a witness who called the Crimestoppers hotline on August 24 should ring officers who are trying to piece together the puzzle of the 11-year-old's fatal shooting.

The caller reported seeing a male on a mobile phone.

Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly said: "I would appeal for this person to make direct contact with me.

"We appreciate the information they have supplied but we now want to speak to them directly.

"There's a lot we can do to protect a witness's identity and we will use every appropriate measure.

"The information from Crimestoppers was significant but we now need to speak to the caller directly."

The appeal comes as the schoolboy's parents Melanie, 41, and Stephen, 44, are understood to be finalising plans with Merseyside Police for their son's funeral service next week.

A football-themed funeral for Rhys will take place at Liverpool Cathedral next Thursday.

The youngsters' parents say they hope the service will be a celebration of the 11-year-old's life. The funeral procession is expected to take football-mad Rhys past his beloved Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club.

The first mystery caller was a man who had called police on one previous occasion and had provided significant information which could potentially solve the case.

Rhys was shot in the neck by a hooded youth on a BMX bike outside the Fir Tree public house in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, at 7.30pm on Wednesday last week.

So far Merseyside Police have arrested 11 teenagers. Seven have been released on police bail and four released without charge.

In an interview with their local paper, the Liverpool Echo, Rhys' father, Stephen Jones, said: "We sit there quietly and look around his bedroom.

"It has not sunk in yet that he is not coming back.

"I go and sit in Rhys's room and on his bed.

"I go and draw the curtains and put the light on every night. I am still doing it because it is really hard to stop."

Rhys's mother added: "He was always off for a game of football with his mates.

"You couldn't get him to sit down for his tea because someone was always at the door for him.

"Always on a Saturday, when Stephen and I have been paid, we would get a take-away and this Saturday we got another.

"When something like this happens you forget to eat, you don't want to eat but our families are watching us on a 24-hour shift so we got the normal pizzas and garlic bread.

"But garlic bread comes cut up into four pieces and now there is only three of us.

"No-one would touch that last piece. No-one would eat Rhys's piece of garlic bread."

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 0151 777 8722 or to Text CRIME to 61051.