Salford boy and mother shooting 'linked to gang feuds'

Jayne Hickey and her son were shot in Salford on Monday night

The shooting of a seven-year-old boy and his mother in Salford is linked to armed feuds between gangs in parts of Greater Manchester, police have said.

Criminal gangs are using guns to settle their disputes, said detectives.

They believe the "sickening and cowardly" shooting on Monday may be linked to the murder of Salford's "Mr Big", Paul Massey, in July.

The woman has been named locally as Jayne Hickey, 29. Both victims are in hospital with leg wounds.

Feud over 'disrespect'

Security boss Mr Massey was shot outside his home in Salford and there is a possible link to a feud between rival gangs in the Swinton and central Salford areas. There have been several shootings.

A second feud has broken out, unconnected to Monday's attack, centred on another area of the city, Little Hulton. There have been at least six shootings linked with that.

Det Ch Supt Russ Jackson, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said rival gangs were understood to be involved in drug dealing, loan sharking and extortion, but the gang war may also be over other issues.

"It is very difficult to understand what the feuds are about. But what I can say is that it's got all the hallmarks of a feud over disrespect.

"These incidents often start not necessarily over drugs but over a degree of disrespect shown to each other," he said.

Speaking at a news conference, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said gun crime was "absolutely not" out of control in the city.

He said a major police operation involving 50 detectives was already running in Salford, targeting organised crime.

DCC Hopkins said 30 guns had been seized since January, there had been dozens of arrests and armed response units were working around the clock.

But he appealed for the public's help to break down what has been called a "wall of silence" surrounding gangs in the city.

Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd also urged local people to come forward.

"I can't believe that even those involved in the organised gangs in Salford will be anything other than sickened themselves by the descent when we see not grown men involved in gangs but a woman - a mother - and a seven-year-old child becoming the victims of the violence that has echoed around these streets in recent months," he said.

A neighbour spoke of hearing "two loud bangs"