Woman arrested in double murder probe
A WOMAN has been arrested after two men died when shot at a Moss Side street party.
Cheriff Tall, 21, and Abayomi Ajose, 36, were both gunned down at a party in Caythorpe Street just before 1am on Sunday.
They both died in hospital later that morning.
A double murder investigation is ongoing.
A woman aged 32 from the Birmingham area was arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder.
She remained in custody for questioning.
Police are continuing to appeal for information.
The families of the victims are being kept up to date with the progress of the investigation by specialist liaison officers.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 6777, quoting 221 of 21/06/20 – or the independent charity,
Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The M.E.N. understands one line of enquiry being investigated is that Mr Ajose, also known as Abi and Junior, was shot as he tried to act as a peacemaker when trouble broke out at the party.
Both victims were shot in the head.
The family of Cheriff described him as a popular member of the community with a strong sense of loyalty.
“Our family cannot put into words how we feel about losing Cheriff,” his family said.
“The death of someone so young, and barely into adulthood is difficult to process, and knowing that he was taken from us in such a brutal way has left us devastated.
“Cheriff was loved and respected by his brothers and sisters, and he loved and respected them, and to say they are broken is an understatement.”
Cheriff had travelled to the Houses of Parliament to lobby MPs on youth violence.
Mr Ajose’s wife, Lola, has spoken of her grief over his death – and of her pride over his life.
She described him as ‘my king’ and said: “The best thing about him for me was the way he showed his love for our three children. Junior was an exceptional human being. He was my king and he treated me like his queen. Anything I needed he would get for me and always went beyond my expectations.”
The leader of Manchester council has paid tribute to ‘an intuitive and compassionate social care professional’.
Sir Richard Leese said Mr Ajose ‘wanted to help both children and their families’ and had worked at residential children’s homes over the past five years.