Sonny Redmond, 32, from Merseyside, cheated death when a gunman sprayed more than a dozen bullets at his vehicle in an underground garage in Costa Blanca on December 11
A British man who was shot multiple times in a botched assassination attempt in a Spanish car park has been identified for the first time.
Sonny Redmond, 32, narrowly escaped death when an assailant fired over a dozen bullets at his vehicle during the failed murder bid in Costa Blanca on December 11 last year. Redmond reportedly sustained gunshot wounds to his arm, leg and chest before alerting a neighbour about his injuries as the shooter made his escape. The shooting took place around 10pm in an underground car park in a residential area of Orihuela Costa, north of Torrevieja, known as Lomas de Cabo Roig.
Photos circulating widely on social media and in the Spanish press depict the front windscreen peppered with bullet holes. The victim was rushed to a local hospital for emergency surgery and was reported to be in a serious condition in the intensive care unit.
The Spanish press identified shooting victim Redmond from Merseyside as one of two British men arrested and still under investigation for an armed robbery at a cannabis club last year. He is believed to have been released on bail in November, approximately seven months after his arrest and detention.
It remains unclear how long Redmond has lived in southern Spain, but he is known to be originally from the Bootle area of Merseyside. In the mid-2010s, a Merseyside court issued him a gang injunction due to his suspected involvement in organised crime in south Sefton.
He later appeared on a Merseyside Police most wanted list for breaching the injunction and failing to appear in court over alleged drug offences.
Others who made it onto the list included Connor Chapman, who was later convicted of the Christmas Eve murder of Elle Edwards; Kevin Parle, an alleged hired gun suspected of committing two murders over 20 years ago; and now-jailed drug trafficker Michael Moogan, who was finally caught in Dubai after several years on the run.
Spanish media identified Redmond as one of two men allegedly involved in an armed robbery at a San Fulgencio cannabis club. Local reports claimed he and another man, aged 33, broke in allegedly brandishing machine guns before fleeing with cash and €5,000 worth of products in October 2024.
Local newspaper The Olive Press said the duo then demanded €25,000 and future profits, threatening the owner and his family. He reportedly tried to evade authorities by changing his name but was eventually captured following a standoff where he was said to have taken an elderly couple hostage.
Redmond’s shooting is said to be 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 Liverpool Echo reports. The victim’s body was reportedly discovered with multiple gunshot wounds on December 21, but Spanish police did not confirm the investigation until several days after Christmas.
A source said the shootings are connected to British and Irish organised drug gangs operating in the Vega Baja region of Alicante.
The Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police in Alicante are investigating the fatal shooting. A police spokesperson stated: “The Orihuela Court of Instruction has sealed the proceedings,” indicating a media blackout on official information.
However, it’s also typical for Spanish authorities to withhold information from the press during an ongoing investigation.
These December shootings follow several other firearm-related incidents earlier this year, suspected to be linked to Merseyside.
Steven Gray, 32, from Bootle, was tragically shot “in the back” in the British holiday hotspot of Calahonda in Spain on Easter Monday. Shortly afterwards, a torched car containing two fire-damaged firearms was discovered.
In the subsequent month, Scottish gangsters Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were shot in Fuengirola on May 31 while watching a football match. Michael Terrence Riley, 44, originally from Bootle but residing in Huyton, has been extradited from the UK to face trial accused of their murders.
Southern Spain is commonly dubbed the “Costa del Crime” because of the vast number of organised crime syndicates who utilise its coastline as their operational base. The seaside region, which was previously favoured thanks to lenient extradition laws, now witnesses British and Irish gangs clashing with cartels from South America and eastern Europe in a bid to establish dominance.