Paul Massey murder: 'Mr Big' shot dead by masked gunman

Paul Massey was a convicted criminal and former mayoral candidate

A convicted criminal, once branded "Mr Big", was killed by a masked gunman in "military-style" clothes, police say.

Paul Massey, 55, a security boss and businessman, was found dead with gunshot wounds outside his Salford home on Sunday evening.

The father-of-five had managed to call emergency services from his driveway to say he had been shot and needed help.

Massey, jailed in 1999 for 14 years over a stabbing, unsuccessfully stood to be Salford mayor in 2012.

Several eyewitnesses saw the gunman approach him at about 19:30 BST as he got out of his silver BMW at his home in Manchester Road, Clifton.

After opening fire, the assailant left on foot down the side of nearby St Anne's Church, police said.

A white male, he wore a green or khaki military-style top and trousers and the lower part of his face was concealed, officers added.

Several gun casings were found at the scene, which remains cordoned off, while police will also trawl through CCTV footage in the area.

A post-mortem examination due to take place later.

Police said there were reports of gunfire in Clifton on Sunday night

Massey, who was barely 5ft (1.52m) tall, was dubbed Mr Big by the late Salford councillor Joe Burrows at a town hall meeting to discuss civil disturbances in 1992.

He denied having anything to do with the unrest.

But he was jailed in 1999 after he stabbed a man in the groin outside a club in Manchester, severing an artery.

Following the crime, he fled to Amsterdam but was caught and extradited.

Since his release from Frankland Prison in County Durham, he was involved in the security business and is believed to have invested in property.

Mayoral campaign

He reportedly acted as a mediator between warring gang factions.

Massey declared he wanted to keep heroin off the streets of Salford and stickers appeared on lampposts warning dealers they risked getting "smacked" if they brought the drug into the city.

But he was arrested with five others in December 2011 as part of a police inquiry into a Salford-based security company.

Massey claimed officers were conducting a "witch-hunt" against him and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

Paul Massey was shot outside his home in Salford

During his 2012 mayoral campaign, he said he would rid the streets of drugs.

Massey said in a BBC Radio Manchester debate he would do the job of mayor without being paid, claiming: "I will do it for free; I will do it for the voice of the people."

He called on voters to forget his reputation, claiming that it was in the past and people had misjudged him. He received 1,995 votes - 4.45% of the poll - and came seventh out of 10 candidates.

However, Massey was still under investigation earlier this year by police from the regional organised crime squad investigating allegations of money laundering.

Salford mayor Ian Stewart, who defeated Massey in the election, said the murder was "shocking".

"I have to say that the council and the police want to see guns and gun crime removed from the city of Salford.

"Someone must know who is involved in carrying out this horrendous crime."

Mr Stewart said he refused to share a platform with Massey during the campaign.

"He had shown tendencies that I personally did not want to give any oxygen to - criminality."

At the scene: BBC reporters Jonathan Ali and Clare Fallon

There is a huge police presence here today - about seven police cars and a mobile police station.

Forensics teams have been here through the night, working by torchlight in the early hours.

Paul Massey was shot in a "targeted attack"- killed because of who he was.

Neighbours and locals are concerned about possible reprisals and worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

There are fears the shooting could be a trigger for more violence in this part of Salford.

Security has been stepped up in the area of the shooting in Manchester Road, and the road is still closed.

Ch Supt Mary Doyle said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Paul at this distressing time and we have specially-trained officers supporting them.

"We know that shots were fired at Paul and do not believe this was a random attack. We are still working to establish a motive, which is not yet known."

Ch Supt Doyle, who said extra officers were in the area to "offer reassurance to the community", appealed for more information as police currently had "no intelligence" on the motive for the murder, despite his prominence in the community.

"There is nothing in what we know about him which would give an overt motive to this," she added.

"I want to reiterate that any information received will be treated in the strictest confidence."

In an unfinished and unbroadcast documentary about Massey, commissioned by the BBC in 1998, he said he "could be shot dead any time".

"I've realised that for years. If it's meant to happen, it's meant to happen and that's the end of it," he said.

Rebecca Long Bailey, the Labour MP for Salford and Eccles, said she was "shocked" at the news of Mr Massey's death, adding her "thoughts are with his family and the residents of Clifton".