Police have released a photo of a seven-year-old boy in his hospital bed, after he was shot in the leg in Salford.
Shortly after 9.25pm on Monday 12 October 2015, two men knocked on the front door of a property on Gillingham Road in Salford.
Jayne Hickey, aged 29, and her seven-year-old son Christian answered the door and, following a brief conversation between them and the offenders, one of the men fired a number of shots.
Jayne received two gunshot wounds to her legs, whilst Christian sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg.
He is undergoing further surgery today, Thursday 15 October 2015.
Forensic investigation is ongoing in relation to the bullet casings recovered from Christian’s leg.
Christian’s mother, Jayne, said: “Christian is an athletic sporty boy. He likes boxing, swimming and football. I really hope he can do this in the future. He loves life; he is so happy and enjoys school. He is a very popular boy with pupils in his class.
“I just saw blood pouring from Christian, I screamed for his dad to put pressure on him. I know he had been shot and I couldn’t help him. I collapsed.
“I had been put with Christian yesterday in the children’s ward but I then had a deterioration and had to go back to an adult ward. I can’t be with him; I can’t kiss him, cuddle him and tell him that he will be alright.
“Because of the shooting I can’t care for my son.”
Assistant Chief Constable Rebekah Sutcliffe said: “I am appealing to all the mothers, grandmothers, aunties and sisters of children in Salford to search your conscience.
“An innocent seven-year-old boy is in a hospital bed after being shot on the doorstep of his own home. As a mother myself I can begin to imagine the pain and anguish his mother is going through; no one imagines that their little boy will be shot as they answer the door.
“The shooting will be etched on Christian’s memory forever, and sadly we can’t change what happened to him. What we can do is find the people that did this and put a stop to the violence in Salford right now, so no more of our children get hurt.
“To do that, we need you to stand with us and name the men that put Christian in a hospital bed. Our dedicated team of officers is working round the clock to catch the gunmen and we hope that the forensic work on the bullet casings will give us a clue, but we know the answer lies in the community.
“These people are capable of shooting a mum and her little boy, please don’t protect them.
“If your little boy was shot you would want answers and we are asking you to be brave and break your silence for the sake of all the other children in Salford who are now at risk.
“I want to stress that if you come forward with what you know, we can offer you complete anonymity and I assure you that you will have our full support. Or if you don’t feel you can talk to police but you have information, you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously.
“Enough is enough, drug dealing and fighting is bad enough but a seven-year-old should never be shot at their own front door. Whatever you think of the police, please do the right thing, name the gunmen, and help us save Salford from any more violence.”
A dedicated information hotline has been set up on 0161 856 9775, or people can also pass information on by calling 101, or the independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
