Salford businessman Paul Massey has been shot dead at his home in Clifton, Salford tonight.
At 7.30pm on Sunday 26 July 2015, armed officers were called to a report of shots being fired at a house on Manchester Road in Clifton.
Eyewitnesses saw the body of a male on the ground in the garden of the house near St Anne’s Church.
The family confirmed that Mr Massey had passed away this evening on Facebook.
It’s understood Mr Massey, 55, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
Police have now officially launched a murder investigation.
Armed officers blocked off the road this afternoon near the Robin Hood pub after residents reported hearing gunfire from the scene.
A man in a silver BMW was seen to be pulled over and arrested.
Local residents have reported that regulars have been ordered to leave the Church Inn on Ford Lane in Pendleton for fear of retribution.
Armed police cordon off Manchester Road – by @solitaNQ
Manchester Road in Clifton will remain closed until Monday morning with this police cordon in place
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson said: “People will understandably be alarmed when they hear about this incident which we believe was a targeted attack.
“I would like to reassure the public that we have a heightened level of police officers in the area tonight while we establish the full circumstances of the incident and identify those responsible.
“We are actively following a number of lines of enquiry however, I would urge the local community to come forward if they saw or heard anything in the area this evening.
“I urge anybody with any information about what’s happened tonight to come forward. I want to stress that any information received will be treated in the strictest confidence.”
A post mortem and formal identification are yet to take place.
The road is expected to be closed throughout the night into tomorrow.
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Paul was well known in Salford for having the city at his heart.
He ran for Salford City Mayor in 2012 and spoke exclusively on camera to SalfordOnline.com at the time.
“I won’t be able to wave a magic wand,” he said, “change will happen slowly, but it’s a new system and its a chance for us to try something new.”
Running as an independent, he stressed that he was a man of the people, being born and raised in Salford.
Mr Massey also promised on camera that he would resign after 6 months if the people who voted him in were not happy with his performance.
He belived his election would be good for Salford: “It’s going to be a hard job,” he said, “but I think I would be a good spokesperson [for the city]. I think you’ll get honest answers from me, I’m a fair person and I have a lot of good influence in Salford.”
Sources close to Mr Massey’s family have reiterated their thanks to the local community for their support and asked that they be left alone at this time to grieve.
