A gunman sprayed more than a dozen bullets at the man’s vehicle in an underground garage in Orihuela Costa, north of Torrevieja.
A man from Merseyside, who was shot multiple times in a botched assassination attempt in a Spanish car park, has been identified as Sonny Redmond.
The 32 year old narrowly escaped death when an assailant fired over a dozen bullets at his vehicle in the Costa Blanca on December 11 last year. Redmond reportedly sustained gunshot wounds to his arm, leg and chest before alerting a neighbour as the shooter made his escape.
The incident occurred around 10pm in an underground car park in a residential area of Orihuela Costa, north of Torrevieja, known as Lomas de Cabo Roig.
Images circulating on social media and published by the Spanish press depict a windscreen peppered with bullet holes. Following the attack, Redmond was rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery and was reported to be in a serious condition in intensive care.
The Spanish media have identified Redmond as one of two British men under investigation in connection with an armed robbery at a cannabis club last year. It’s believed he was granted bail in November, approximately seven months after his arrest and subsequent detention.
While it remains unclear how long Redmond has resided in southern Spain, he is thought to hail from the Bootle area of Merseyside. In the mid-2010s, due to suspected ties to organised crime in south Sefton, he was issued a gang injunction by a Merseyside court, reports the Liverpool Echo.
He subsequently appeared on a Merseyside Police most wanted list for violating the injunction and failing to appear in court over alleged drug offences.
Among others who made the list were Connor Chapman, later convicted for the Christmas Eve murder of Elle Edwards; Kevin Parle, an alleged hitman suspected of committing two murders over two decades ago; and now-jailed drug trafficker Michael Moogan, who was finally caught in Dubai after several years on the lam.
Spanish media identified Redmond as one of two men allegedly involved in an armed break-in at a San Fulgencio cannabis club. According to local reports, he and another man, aged 33, allegedly stormed the premises with machine guns, making off with cash and products worth €5,000 in October 2024.
Local newspaper The Olive Press reported that the duo then demanded €25,000 and future profits, threatening the owner and his family. Redmond is said to have tried to elude authorities by changing his name but was eventually captured following a standoff where he reportedly held an elderly couple hostage.
The ECHO has learned that Redmond’s shooting is connected to the murder of a 29 year old British man whose body was found at a housing development in the Campoamor area of Alicante. The victim was reportedly discovered with multiple gunshot wounds on December 21, but Spanish police did not confirm the investigation until several days post-Christmas.
A source has revealed to the ECHO that the shootings are connected to British and Irish organised crime networks operating in Alicante’s Vega Baja region.
The fatal incident is currently under investigation by the Judicial Police within the Alicante division of the Guardia Civil. A police spokesperson confirmed: “The Orihuela Court of Instruction has sealed the proceedings,” which means no official details are being disclosed to the press.
However, it’s standard practice for Spanish authorities to withhold information from the media during active investigations.
These December shootings come after several other firearms -related incidents from earlier in the year with suspected Merseyside connections.
Steven Gray, 32, from Bootle, was fatally shot “in the back” at the British holiday resort of Calahonda in Spain on Easter Monday. Shortly afterwards, a burnt-out vehicle containing two fire-damaged weapons was discovered.
The next month, Scottish criminals Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were shot dead in Fuengirola on May 31 whilst watching a football game. Michael Terrence Riley, 44, from Huyton but originally from Bootle, has been extradited from the UK to face trial charged with their murders.
Southern Spain has earned the nickname “Costa del Crime” because of the significant presence of organised crime syndicates operating along its coastline. The region, once attractive due to relaxed extradition regulations, has become a battleground where British and Irish criminal networks clash with cartels from South America and eastern Europe, all vying for control and influence in the area.