LONDON — The police in Manchester, England, are investigating a shooting in the Moss Side area of the city that left at least 10 people injured in the predawn hours on Sunday, shortly after revelers attended the first day of an annual Caribbean carnival in the area.
The Greater Manchester Police said “a large number” of unarmed and armed officers responded at 2.30 a.m. to reports of gunfire. The shooting broke out as crowds milled about after the Manchester carnival, the police said.
The wounded were being treated at hospitals for a range of injuries, minor and serious, but most did not appear to have life-threatening wounds, the police said in a statement. The authorities said that one man was in serious but stable condition with leg injuries, and that nine others, including two children, were hospitalized with pellet-type wounds.
There was no clear motive for the shooting. A spokeswoman for the Manchester Police, Detective Superintendent Debbie Dooley, said, officers were trying to establish exactly “who is responsible for such a dangerous attack.”
They were searching the area for clues, interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage from surveillance cameras, she said.
“Those living or visiting the area will understandably be concerned by this incident,” she added, “and we will have extra officers patrolling the area throughout the morning and into the coming days.”
Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry called the shooting “a reckless act that could have had devastating consequences with families and friends losing loved ones.” He said, “There may be people who didn’t seek treatment last night and I would urge these people to get immediate medical attention.”
Footage on social media showing panicked crowds after the shooting. Later Sunday morning, Claremont Road, where the shooting took place, was littered with debris — and what appeared to be nitrous oxide canisters — and remained cordoned off by the police.
The shooting comes as officials in Britain have struggled to deal with a rise in crime, including acid and knife attacks. “Guns have no place on our streets,” Superintendent Chaudhry said.
The two-day Manchester carnival in Alexandra Park is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush generation, a group of people form the Caribbean who arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush, a passenger liner, after they were encouraged to move to the country to fill a labor shortage.
Bev Craig, a Labour Party councilor for the area, said on Twitter: “Awful news. Thoughts with those injured and the local community today as the police start to piece events together. Moss Side is a vibrant, welcoming area — and so much more than just a headline, let’s hope in the days to come this is remembered.”
In May 2017, Manchester was rocked by a terrorist bombing at Manchester Arena, where Salman Abedi, a British citizen of Libyan descent, detonated explosives packed with nails, bolts and ball bearings at an Ariana Grande concert.
Source : Nytimes
