GUNMEN blasted a man three times in a shooting that is being treated as attempted murder.

The 34-year-old was shot in Coniston Avenue, Little Hulton, at 11.15pm on Monday with what people who heard the gunfire said sounded very much like a machine gun.

Witnesses say the culprits fled on a motorbike following the attack that has left those living nearby shaken and concerned.

All three bullets hit the victim in the torso and he remains in a serious although not life-threatening condition in hospital.

A neighbour close to the scene of the shooting, Stuart Brickles, said: "I was sat in bed last night doing a crossword and I heard this scooter roll up.

"I didn't take much notice of it at first as we get lads joyriding on scooters.

"It stopped and a short time later I heard gunshots. It was pretty loud.

"It was three gunshots and it sounded like a semi-automatic.

"It was rapid fire and definitely not a pistol.

"I don't think the shooting actually happened on the pavement. I looked out of the bedroom window and saw two lads on a scooter shoot off down there.

"The pillion passenger was looking behind him. I looked at the clock and it was 11.15pm.

"The next thing I knew, about a quarter of an hour later, the ambulance rolled up and the police pulled up."

Mr Brickles believes the culprits came from the Eastham Way direction along Coniston Avenue to carry out reconnaissance, doubled back, fired the shots and sped off back the way they had come.

Resident Mark Broadhurst, posting on the Walkden Community page on Facebook, said: "I was awake and heard it but wasn't sure what it was as I had the TV on. Sounded like a moped speeding off too."

Fellow Facebook user Dan Meiring remarked on the Walkden Online group: "Little Hulton must be gun capital of Manchester now. At least in the past year. Not good."

The attack is not being linked to any other shooting in Salford including the driveway slaying of crime lord-turned-mayoral candidate Paul Massey.

Detective Chief Inspector Clare Devlin, of Salford division, said: "People will understandably be alarmed when they hear about this incident but we believe that this was a targeted attack.

"We are treating this as an attempted murder but we are in the early stages of our investigation and are working to establish who may be behind the shooting.

"I would like to assure the public that we have increased level of police officers in the area and we do not believe there is a wider threat to the community.

"I would urge the local community to come forward if they saw or heard anything in the area in the early hours of this morning to contact police.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 8361, 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


 

To read our live account of this morning's events, click here.