 A MAN was shot and another beaten with baseball bats by a gang of masked men in a suspected punishment attack. The pair, who are critically ill in hospital, were attacked in the Ashgrove pub in Wavertree. The are being treated at the Royal Liverpool University hospital. A gang of men in balaclavas burst into the pub at around 6.30pm yesterday and shot a 40-year-old man in the stomach. A 26-year-old was badly beaten with baseball bats. Locals today said they knew the victims and suspected that the attacks had been a punishment from other people living locally. One woman said: "It could be a question of somebody deciding to take things into their own hands." Police say they are following several lines of inquiry but do not believe the attacks were drugs or gang-related. Detective Chief Inspector Bob Marsden said: "We are not linking the shooting at the pub last night to any other shooting in the city. There are several lines of inquiry we are following." Large parts of Wavertree Road and Picton Road were closed off for three hours after the attack. A resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I heard two loud cracking noises. We have had a lot of trouble with kids letting off fireworks so I thought it was a firework. "It is getting worse around here. There are guns everywhere. It is absolutely terrifying." The attacks come after the launch on Friday of a 160-strong police squad to tackle gun crime. * Anyone with information on either incident should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Teen targeted 'by mistake' >>> | 
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