David Forbes, 42, was shot at close range by a stranger while on an errand to get fish and chips for his stepson in Croxteth, Liverpool, on February 28 2025. More than 18 months later, he is still undergoing surgeries.
The attack
Forbes, from Wallasey, was staying at his partner's home on Cubert Road when he offered to go to the chip shop. As he left the terraced house, he encountered a man dressed in black mumbling under his breath and holding a shotgun. Forbes recalled: "I've crossed over the road, he's crossed over as well. I thought it was weird, all in black. I was a bit wary of him, and then I thought: 'he's coming towards me, he's getting closer'. And he mumbled something, stopped, pointed the gun down and walked back. I think he realised I'm not the guy, and because everything happened so quick I've carried on walking. I think he panicked and thought: 'I'm going to have to shoot'."
The shotgun discharged, and hundreds of pellets embedded in Forbes's legs. He dropped to the floor, then dragged himself across the street and crawled into the house. His partner's 22-year-old son initially thought he was joking until he saw the blood-soaked jeans. The family cut open his jeans, and Forbes's 31-year-old stepdaughter, a registered doctor in Sudan, tried to stem the bleeding. Paramedics took him to hospital, while armed police searched the property.
Surgery and recovery
Forbes underwent an 11-hour operation to save his legs. When he woke up, his first question was: "Am I going to walk again? Have I lost my legs?" He spent two weeks in hospital with major surgery on both legs, including reconstructive surgery. Wounds were left open for two days before being stapled shut. Within weeks, he was readmitted due to swelling and seeping wounds. A doctor squeezed his calf, and "blood shot across the wound". He endured further surgery for blood clots and spent another four weeks in hospital. To date, he has had upwards of 200 staples and spent nearly a full day under the knife.
Reflecting on his injuries, Forbes said: "I was struggling to just be able to go to the shop and carry a bag and stuff, you know? When I first came out of hospital, on the crutches for so long and then I have a walking aid that goes into your laces on your boot, with a strap over the top to hold my foot up. I was slipping and falling over in the shower, it was just things like that. There is the PTSD. Like on Bonfire Night, fireworks going off, I was waking up with panic attacks."
Impact on family and work
The attack has taken a mental toll on Forbes's family. His partner's son, now 16, is uncomfortable having the front door open. The family later discovered the attacker, Daniel Lawless, had previously lived in their home years ago. Forbes said: "I don't let anybody go to the shop now, especially when it's dark, on their own at least. We go in twos." Neighbours have been supportive, and he noted: "everybody knows I am innocent, and now they sort of know what it was, it wasn't a targeted attack."
Forbes, who worked as a tradesman, had just started a new role when the attack happened. As he was on probation, he lost his job.
Sentencing of attacker
Earlier this month, Daniel Lawless was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court. CCTV showed him leaving an address on Petherick Road shortly after 10pm, producing a shotgun from a carrier bag in the Lobster pub car park, and showing it to three males. He then walked away, carried out the shooting, ran from the scene, briefly returned, and left again, gesturing towards the males. He returned about 20 minutes later in a parked car with a backpack and "disappeared". The following morning at 7.15am, he returned by taxi wearing a dressing gown and carrying a black rucksack. The gun was never recovered.
Lawless admitted wounding with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. A previous charge of attempted murder was ordered to lie on the file. He appeared via video link from HMP Liverpool and was jailed for 18.5 years with an additional four years on licence. In July 2025, while in prison, he also poured boiling sugar water over his cell mate, leaving his skin melting off, and later bragged "I've done him".
Ongoing recovery
Forbes will continue with further surgery, scheduled for treatment on his tendons and muscles to improve mobility. Surgeons can only perform the operation once, and recovery will take more than a year with no guarantee of success.
