Moss Side shooting: Suspect remains at large

Abayomi Ajose, 36, and Cheriff Tall, 21, died after being shot in Moss Side

The prime suspect in a double murder probe remains at large four months on from the shooting, police have said.

Detectives investigating the killings at a lockdown party in Manchester have urged people in Birmingham to help them track down the person responsible.

The alleged killer, who is not being named by police, is believed to be from Birmingham.

Abayomi Ajose, 36 and Cheriff Tall, 21, were attacked at the gathering in Moss Side on 21 June.

The pair, who did not know each other, were both shot in the head at the party attended by up to 400 people in the early hours.

Det Ch Insp Stuart Wilkinson, from Greater Manchester Police, said the suspect has managed to remain at large despite his identity being known among communities in both major cities.

"This person knows that we need to speak to them. If they have got nothing to hide, they should step forward and come and speak to us," he said.

"I'm pretty sure someone will be harbouring him because I think it's well known in the community, both in Manchester and in Birmingham, who we are looking for."

'Frustration and hurt'

Officers have so far traced about 300 people who attended the party and have spoken to roughly 275 of them but some are reluctant to become official witnesses.

Mr Wilkinson, who believes about 20 people from Birmingham attended the party, said he was keeping an open mind as to whether the suspect is still in the West Midlands.

But he added he firmly believes the culprit is from the Birmingham area.

"A wife has been widowed, three young children have been left fatherless and a mother has lost her son," he said.

"I cannot even begin to imagine the frustration and hurt these families must feel from the knowledge that the killer is walking free."