Children among the injured in shooting at street party

Ten people, including a 12-year-old child, were injured when what is believed to be a shotgun was fired in a large crowd of people at a street party, police have said.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Aug 2018, 17:40 BST
Updated 4th Sep 2018, 20:21 BST
Forensics officers at the scene in Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester, where several people have been injured after a shootingForensics officers at the scene in Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester, where several people have been injured after a shooting
Forensics officers at the scene in Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester, where several people have been injured after a shooting

Officers were called to reports of two loud bangs at the party, which followed Manchester's Caribbean Carnival, on Claremont Road in Moss Side in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Greater Manchester Police said nine people, including two children who were at the street party with parents, were taken to hospital after suffering pellet injuries, predominantly to their legs, while one man sustained a broken leg, the cause of which is not known.

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None of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening and one person has discharged themselves from hospital.

Forensics and a police officer at the sceneForensics and a police officer at the scene
Forensics and a police officer at the scene

Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry said police had launched an attempted murder investigation but the motive for the attack remained unclear.

He said: "In the early hours of today, at around 2.25 this morning, my officers got a report of the sound of two loud bangs in the Claremont Road area of south Manchester and officers were quickly in attendance, within a minute in fact.

"They were both armed officers that attended and also unarmed staff.

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"What they were faced with was a large crowd of a number of hundred people, several hundred people, in the area who were continuing to celebrate the Caribbean Carnival and a number of those people had been injured and there was a state of panic which our officers had to contend and deal with."

A police van is parked across the area of Claremont Road, Moss Side, ManchesterA police van is parked across the area of Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester
A police van is parked across the area of Claremont Road, Moss Side, Manchester

Mr Chaudhry said police were working on the "hypothesis" that there was a shotgun discharge, but it was not clear how many times the weapon had been fired.

He said: "We can't minimise the risk that the public were put into and the fact that this could have been far worse.

"We could have been dealing with life-threatening injuries and we could indeed be investigating multiple murders."

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Mr Chaudhry added: "It's unclear at this stage what the motive, what the reason behind this attack was, however I've got to be clear, it would be obvious to any particular person that discharging a firearm in a large crowd like this is completely reckless."

On Sunday officers carried out a fingertip search of the road, where litter including empty bottles of brandy and other drink containers, food wrappers and nitrous oxide canisters could be seen across the street.

Youth worker Kemoy Walker said he had been on the main stage at the carnival on Saturday and had been at another street party on Claremont Road until about 11.30pm.

He said: "The party I was at was beautiful. When I left there was lovely dancing. That's Moss Side, that's the culture. I'm in shock this morning."

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The carnival, in nearby Alexandra Park, went ahead for a second day on Sunday.

Police said there had been no arrests at the carnival on Saturday and it had finished at 8pm, six-and-a-half hours before the shooting.

Related topics:Manchester