Salford shooting: Police probe gangland murder link

The shooting of a man in Salford could be linked to the apparent gangland killing of a "Mr Big" security boss, police have said.

A 33-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his hip in a shooting in the Weaste area of the city at around 6.15pm on Wednesday has been taken to hospital.

His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, Greater Manchester Police said.

Detectives are investigating the possibility it could be linked to the murder of Paul Massey in Clifton last month.

Massey, 55, died from a gunshot wound to the chest after a lone gunman in "military-style" clothing opened fire as his victim arrived home and got out of his silver BMW car.

Salford Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Mary Doyle said: "An investigation into this incident has been launched but I would like to stress that inquiries are at a very early stage.

"We are looking into the possibility that this incident is connected with the murder of Paul Massey and as such we currently have two specialised major incident teams working tirelessly to identify and prosecute those responsible for these offences."

Father-of-five Massey had been dubbed "Mr Big" in his home city of Salford, where he was a well-known figure linked to organised crime and involved in security firms operating in Manchester.

Locals fear his murder may lead to open gang war on the city's streets as murder squad detectives hunt the killer.

Police warned against reprisals by vigilantes and appealed for information on the latest shooting as well as Massey's killing, which happened on July 26.

Ms Doyle said: "I believe that the answer to what happened to Paul Massey and now this incident lie within the community and I would like to urge anybody with information to come forward.

"Please don't attempt to take the law into your own hands and get involved, leave that to the police as it is what we are here to do."

Extra 24-hour patrols had been put on in the Salford area to prevent further attacks and reassure the community, she added.