Gang ‘link’ to Moss Side cafe shooting
RISING tensions between an old established gang and fledgling crime group may have led to a man being shot outside a cafe, police believe.
One or two shots were fired at the victim, who was blasted in the thigh outside the Silver Spoon takeaway/ cafe on Great Western Street, Moss Side at 3pm on Sunday.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The M.E.N. has learned police believe the victim may be associated with an off-shoot of the notorious Moss Side-based Doddington gang.
Detectives suspect he may have been involved in a feud with members of another gang made up largely of people of Libyan and Somali heritage.
Armed police were scrambled to the scene on Sunday afternoon and found the man seriously injured. He remains in hospital in a serious condition, although his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Police believe the ‘targeted attack’ is a sign gangland tensions are on the rise again following an uneasy peace which has lasted almost ten years in Moss Side and south Manchester.
A number of key gangland figures have recently been released following jail sentences.
The incident is not being linked to a shooting at a wake in Old Trafford earlier this month.
There, a number of shots were fired near the fire exit of St Alphonsus Parish Centre. No-one was hurt.
The wake was for Frank Pereira, a man from Moss Side thought to have been in his 70s when he passed away.
Police sources have indicated some of his associates were linked to Moss Side’s notorious Gooch gang. Following the latest incident, two men, aged 20 and 45, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
They remain in police custody for questioning.
Chf Insp Mark Kenny, of GMP’s City of Manchester Team, said: “When something like this happens it can cause worry and unrest in the community.
“I want to offer my assurances that we have extra patrols in the area and a dedicated team of detectives working on this case.
“Our enquiries are at an early stage but we do believe this was a targeted attack, and that there is no wider risk to people living in the area.
“We know that Moss Side is a very tight-knit community so it is possible that somebody may hold key information about those responsible.”