Manchester shooting: Children among 10 people injured after incident in Moss Side area

Police say 'pellet-type' injuries are not thought to be life-threatening

Two children are among at least 10 people injured in a shooting at a post-carnival street party in Manchester.

Police were called to reports of gunshots at 2.30am on Claremont Road in Moss Side and sent “large numbers” of armed officers to the scene.

“Nine people went to hospital, including two children, with pellet-type wounds that are not believed to be serious,” a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said.

“A tenth person – a man – remains in a stable but serious condition in hospital with injuries to his legs.”

Footage posted on social media showed panic and confusion as police tried to help crowds of people.

One man can be heard shouting “Move!” while another asks “Can you hear me?” and police can be seen helping people on the ground.

Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry appealed for any other victims that have not yet sought medical treatment to seek help.

He told a press conference that officers were investigating whether the attack was targeted after being met with scenes of “confusion”.

“There was a large crowd of several hundred people still celebrating following the carnival event and a number of these people had received injuries,” he added.

“Ten people were highlighted as having been injured and they were taken to hospital, their ages range from late childhood through to in their 50s.

“The injuries were consistent with pellet injuries, predominantly around the injured parties’ legs, which have required hospital treatment…our working premise is that it was a shotgun involved in the incident.”

One person has discharged themselves from hospital and the other nine victims are still undergoing treatment, including a man suffering a broken leg, for light to serious injuries, police said.

Ch Supt Choudhry said that “thankfully” none were life-threatening, adding: “It would be obvious to any particular person that discharging a firearm in a large crowd like this is completely reckless.”

The shooting happened around 2:30am on Sunday (Peter Byrne/PA Wire) (PA)

The shooting happened in Claremont Road, which remains seized off as investigators search for evidence among discarded rubbish, alcohol bottles, food containers and other remnants from the celebrations.

They are reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to hundreds of witnesses in efforts to identify a suspect.

Local residents were told to expect an increased police presence both from neighbourhood officers and armed units.

No one has yet been arrested in connection with the shooting, which came hours after the end of the Caribbean Carnival, amid several parties in the area.

One local woman wrote on Twitter that the annual Claremont Road street party is known as a “brilliant time and great atmosphere”, adding: “Sometimes [there are] those few that spoil it, as there can be anywhere.”

The road remained cordoned off for investigation on Sunday, with litter including empty “laughing gas” canisters, alcohol bottles and food containers left on the ground amid a hunt for forensic evidence.

The annual Caribbean Carnival had started with a parade through Moss Side involving local schools and community groups earlier in the day, and celebrations were set to continue in and around Alexandra Park on Sunday.

Security was increased ahead of the 2017 event following a spate of gang violence including the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old boy.

Beverley Hughes, Greater Manchester's deputy mayor for crime, said: “Clearly this incident will have caused major concern to people in the area, not least because of the work that police, other agencies and local people themselves have done to transform Moss Side in recent years.

“So I would like to praise Greater Manchester Police for their swift action, and also local people who have responded quickly to say this doesn't reflect the Moss Side of 2018.

"It is a great relief that no-one was more seriously hurt - and we wish all those injured a speedy recovery."

Councillors urged people to attend the second day of festivities in Moss Side as the investigation continued.

Pat Karney said the incident could have “happened in any city in any country”.

“It's an individual, an idiot, who was messing around with a firearm and you can't tar a whole community because of some idiotic behaviour,” he added.

“I think the fact that over 16,000 people came out to the carnival yesterday indicates the strength of the community here and their desire to celebrate their area.”

The shooting came amid a nationwide increase in violent crime, with the number of homicides recorded by police in England and Wales up by 12 per cent, knife crime offences by 16 per cent and robbery by 30 per cent in the year to March.

The Office for National Statistics reported a 2 per cent rise in gun crime in the same period, to almost 6,500 offences, but said the increase was “far less pronounced than previously seen”.

Anyone with any information is asked to call on 0161 856 4166 quoting incident number 297 of 12 August, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.