Suspected attempt murderer held after specialist strike in response to Wigan shootings

A man wanted on suspicion of attempted murder was arrested yesterday afternoon after a specialist strike by our armed officers at an address in south Manchester.

The action follows an extensive investigation by our Wigan CID, Serious and Organised Crime Group (SOCG) and Force Critical Wanted Unit detectives following two incidents on Wednesday 26 January that saw bullets discharged in the Westleigh area of Wigan.

A 33-year-old man suffered serious life-changing shotgun injuries at the time of the attack and his condition is currently described as stable.

Yesterday (Friday 18 March) afternoon, officers from our Tactical Firearms Unit targeted an address in Chorlton-cum-Hardy and arrested a 20-year-old man in the loft of the building.

He remains in custody for questioning on suspicion of attempted murder, section 18 assault, robbery and sexual assault.

A scene remained in place into the evening as specialist officers searched the premises for any potential evidence to be forensically recovered.

Police thank the public for their cooperation during the operation and are keen to assure them there is no risk to the wider community in relation to this activity.

Assistant Chief Constable Scott Green said: "Recent incidents in the Wigan area will no doubt have caused understandable concern in the town as we have seen some serious and deliberate acts of violence that could have left somebody fatally injured.

"Last night's strike demonstrates the excellent collaboration we have here at GMP of officers and detectives working together across different districts, and between a number of central resources, to operate in such a swift and decisive manner to bring to custody those that we believe are responsible for such serious incidents.

"Firearms discharges are down a third in Greater Manchester in the last 12 months and that is a trend we are only determined to continue decreasing; so when attacks like this are reported to us, suspects and the public alike should see this action and know to expect a very robust response from us."