Four-year-old boy lay sleeping as his father was gunned down at home

Detectives said the boy was being cared for by family today, with his relatives trying to keep life “as normal as possible” for the youngster. The child was discovered sleeping in bed at the house on Beckhill Chase, Meanwood, where his father, 21-year-old Jordan Stapleton, lay dead in the nearby bathroom.

Police have released the 999 call reporting the incident, which happened shortly before midnight on Tuesday. The call was made from a public telephone box in Stainbeck Road, near the crossroads with Stainbeck Lane, at 11.46pm.

The male caller, who refused to give his name, said he believed he had heard a gunshot on Beckhill Chase as he walked down a nearby alleyway. After the caller said 16 Beckhill Chase was the likely origin of the gunshot, he hung up.

When police arrived at Mr Stapleton’s home, they found him in the first-floor bathroom with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead a short time later. His son was found asleep in a nearby bedroom. Mr Stapleton lived alone at the house with the boy.

As well as tracing the caller, murder detectives are also asking for the public’s help in piecing together the single father-of- one’s movements before he died. Mr Stapleton was last seen by his mother at her home at 6pm on Tuesday.

Detective Superintendent Scott Wood, from West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), said: “Jordan Stapleton was shot in cold blood in his own home.

“The fact his young son was asleep yards away in his bedroom makes this crime even more disturbing.

“The child is with Jordan’s family. They are used to looking after him and are trying to keep things as normal as possible for him.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information contact HMET on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.