A woman shot dead outside a bar in Sheffield was an innocent bystander, police say.

Officers were called to the scene outside the One Four One bar on West Street in in the city centre at 2.45am on Monday after reports of a shooting.

The victim, 30, was found with serious injuries and died later in hospital. She has not been formally identified, but her next of kin have been informed.

Ch Supt Jamie Henderson, the district commander for Sheffield said: “Following extensive inquiries over the last 36 hours, we believe the victim was an innocent bystander who was on a night out in our city to celebrate the bank holiday weekend.

“Gun crime causes devastation within families and communities. In this case, an innocent woman who should have been able to safely enjoy a night out in Sheffield has been killed, and her loved ones have been left to face the heartbreaking reality that they will never see her again.”

South Yorkshire police released a CCTV image of a white Audi that they believe was involved in the incident, and are appealing for anyone who was on West Street or Eldon Street in the early hours of Monday morning to come forward if they saw anything.

Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and all three are in police custody for questioning. One of the men, 30, and the woman, 32, were arrested near Stockport in Greater Manchester in the early hours of Monday morning. The second man, 30, was arrested in Sheffield.

Henderson said: “If you were out in Sheffield in the early hours of Monday morning, please take a look at our website or Facebook page and report anything you saw to us.

“We also know there are others within our communities who know who is responsible or who is involved in gun crime but feel too scared to tell us what they know.”