Greater Manchester Police said in a joint press conference with Salford City Council today that the deliberate close-range shooting of a 7-year-old boy in Winton had “crossed a line”.
The shooting – just the latest in a series of escalating violence on our streets – has shocked and outraged the local community.
Watch the full press conference here:
Terrified residents on Gilligham Road reported hearing three distinct gunshots at around 9.25pm on Monday 12 October, when two men approached the front door of a semi-detached house on the small cul-de-sac and fired through the doorway.
Descriptions of the men are here
Read: Mum and 7-year-old boy shot in the legs in Winton
Both the boy and his mother required surgery after being shot in the leg and the child could be physically and mentally scarred for life after the attack.
The shooting comes after a weekend of bloody violence in Little Hulton, which saw a 48-year-old man shot in the back through the front window of a house on Mossbrook Drive at midnight on Friday 9 October.
Read: Man, 48, shot through front window of Mossbrook Drive house
Over the next two days two further houses were shot at in Gorse Drive, Little Hulton, and on Bolton Road in Farnworth.
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the shootings in Little Hulton were linked to two serious and organised crime groups, believed to be two warring families.
Seven men are in custody this morning after related raids, and police said a substantial amount of drugs had been recovered.
The Winton shooting is directly linked to two feuding organised crime groups operating in the Swinton and central Salford areas, DCC Hopkins said today.
He added that police were looking at direct links between the murder of Paul Massey and the Gillingham Road shooting.
The shooting took place the same night that police announced on BBC Crimewatch a £50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Mr Massey’s unsolved murder.
Read: Paul Massey Crimewatch: £50k appeal over Salford murder
“This is a sickening and cowardly attack on a 7-year-old boy and his mother at their home,” said DCC Hopkins
“The level of criminal recklessness is putting innocent people at risk and this has to stop.
“The shootings that we have had are clearly part of two distinct feuds between organised crime groups in Salford.
“The shooting last night we believe is linked to the shooting of Paul Massey and the feud between groups in the central Salford and Swinton areas.
“The vast majority of people in Salford are law-abiding citizens who are very proud of their city.
“However there is still a core of people who are prepared to use firearms to threaten people and to sort out disputes, but their is clearly putting the wider public at risk.”
“Clearly people associated with these crime groups will have information, and I appeal to them to search their soul and come forward with what they know.
This has to be the turning point where people can no longer remain silent about organised crime here in Salford.
“We have been running a major operation for the past months here in Salford. This includes 50 specialist detectives supported by the National Crime Agency.”
He denied that gun violence in Salford was “out of control” and said 30 illegal firearms had been taken off the streets of Salford since January, including two high-powered rifles in the past week.
“We have four armed response units operating 24 hours a day here in Salford,” he added.
Reader Diane Newell told SalfordOnline.com: “I’ve lived in Salford all my life, I was born on the Height, lived in Winton and went to Winton High School as well as having family in Little Hulton.
“This is all very close to home for me and many others in the community.
“It’s shocking and seems to worsening by the week. People are concerned and stressed, is it any wonder that tensions are high as the latest shooting involved a child?
“People are crying out to the police to get a grip on this and clear our streets of the ever-increasing gun crime, and give us back our pride our Salford before it’s too late.
Community campaigner Karl Davison said: “GMP have lost control of our streets and it’s plainly clear the criminals are in control to shoot when and who they want.
“Meanwhile a city lives in fear of where they will strike next.
“We need rapid deploy armed response units in key areas NOW.
“If they can put armed police out to protect a Tory conference they sure as hell should be protecting the public.”
A third, who did not want to be named, wrote: “When you see the cutbacks being made to policing it’s no wonder the scum are taking advantage.
“We need to stop the ‘at least it wasn’t me’ and the ‘not getting involved’ mentality.
“If we keep turning a blind eye then don’t whinge when it happens to you.
“It’s not ‘grassing’ it’s protecting you, your neighbours, your family, your friends and your community – that’s what the law is for.”
