Sonny Redmond, 32, from Bootle, Merseyside was shot multiple times in an underground garage in Orihuela Costa on December 11 – it is understood to be linked to a murder in Alicante
A man who was peppered with bullets in a botched car park hit job in Spain has been named. Sonny Redmond, 32, narrowly escaped death when an assassin unloaded over a dozen rounds into his car during the failed murder bid in Costa Blanca on December 11 last year.
Redmond reportedly took hits to the arm, leg and chest before raising the alarm with a neighbour as the shooter scarpered. The late-night attack unfolded in an underground car park in a residential part of Orihuela Costa, north of Torrevieja, known as Lomas de Cabo Roig.
Photos doing the rounds on social media and in Spanish newspapers show the car’s windscreen riddled with bullet holes. Redmond was whisked off to a local hospital for emergency surgery and was said to be in a serious state in intensive care.
The Spanish press identified shooting victim Redmond as one of two Brits arrested and still under investigation over an armed robbery at a cannabis club last year. He was reportedly let out on bail in November, about seven months after being banged up.
It’s unclear how long Redmond has been soaking up the sun in southern Spain, but he’s believed to hail from the Bootle area of Merseyside. Back in the mid-2010s, a Merseyside court slapped him with a gang injunction due to suspected ties to organised crime in south Sefton, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He later made an appearance on Merseyside Police’s most wanted list for breaching the injunction and skipping court over alleged drug offences.
Among others who graced the list were Connor Chapman, who would later be found guilty of the Christmas Eve murder of Elle Edwards; Kevin Parle, a suspected hitman believed to have committed two murders over two decades ago; and now-jailed drug trafficker Michael Moogan, who was finally nabbed in Dubai after several years on the run.
Spanish press identified Redmond as one of two blokes allegedly involved in an armed break-in at a San Fulgencio cannabis club. Local reports suggest he and another man, aged 33, stormed in reportedly brandishing machine guns before legging it with cash and €5,000 worth of goods in October 2024.
The Olive Press reported that the duo then demanded €25,000 and future profits, threatening the owner and his family. He allegedly tried to give the police the slip by changing his name but was eventually caught following a standoff where he was said to have held an elderly couple hostage.
The ECHO understands that Redmond’s shooting is connected to the murder of a 29-year-old Brit whose body was found at a housing development in the Campoamor area of Alicante. The victim’s body was reportedly discovered with multiple gunshot wounds on December 21, but the Spanish police didn’t confirm the investigation until days after Christmas.
An insider has revealed to the ECHO that the shootings are tied to British and Irish drug mobs operating in the Vega Baja region of Alicante. The Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police in Alicante are probing the deadly shooting.
A police spokesperson stated: “The Orihuela Court of Instruction has sealed the proceedings,” indicating a media blackout on official information.
However, it’s not unusual for Spanish authorities to withhold information from the press during an ongoing investigation. These December shootings follow a string of earlier firearm incidents this year believed to be connected to Merseyside.
Steven Gray, a 32 year old from Bootle, was fatally shot “in the back” in the popular British holiday spot of Calahonda in Spain on Easter Monday. Shortly afterwards, a torched car containing two fire-damaged guns was discovered.
In May, Scottish mobsters Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were shot dead in Fuengirola while watching a football match. Michael Terrence Riley, 44, originally from Bootle but more recently Huyton, has been extradited from the UK to face trial accused of their murders.
Southern Spain has earned the nickname “Costa del Crime” due to its notorious reputation as a hub for organised crime groups. The sun-kissed coast, once a haven for fugitives thanks to its relaxed extradition laws, has become a battleground for British and Irish gangs, South American cartels, and eastern European mobs all vying for control.