Boy, 17, shot as he cycles in park

A 17-year-old boy was shot as he cycled through a park in Manchester, police said yesterday. The teenager was shot in his back, stomach and leg in Longford Park, in the Stretford area of the city, on Friday night.

The youth, who is thought to have been with two friends, underwent emergency surgery. Police said he was in a "comfortable condition" yesterday.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting were similar to the murder in September of 15-year-old Jessie James, who was shot dead as he rode through a nearby park in Moss Side.