POLICE cordons remain in place at the scenes of two shootings which happened in Leigh yesterday evening, with the gunman remaining at large.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at Hawthorn Grove at around 5.45pm following reports of gunfire, before another shooting was reported on Shadwell Grove, about a mile away.
Mystery surrounds the circumstances of the double shooting, yet police are remaining tight-lipped about their investigation.
With no arrests made at present, the identity of the shooter and his motive remain unknown.
However, police do believe the two shootings, which happened around a mile away from each other, could be linked.
With a police presence remaining at Hawthorn Grove and Shadwell Grove this morning, there was a general feeling of anxiety and concern for residents who live close by.
Many seemed in shock that such a violent act could happen on their quiet street, and anxious for the police to quickly complete their investigation.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 5.45pm today (Wednesday, January 26 2022), we were called by the ambulance service responding to an incident on Hawthorn Grove, Leigh.
"Officers attended and established there had been a firearms discharge."
They added: "A short time later, we received a report of a second firearms discharge on Shadwell Grove, also in Leigh.
"Two men, one in his 30s and the other in his 20s, have been taken to hospital.
"An investigation is underway."
Detective Superintendent Jamie Daniels added: "We are in the very early stages of our investigation into these incidents but we believe they could be linked.
"We have officers in Leigh carrying out extensive enquiries to establish exactly what has happened. Two people are in hospital with gun-shot wounds and I can assure people that we will leave no stone unturned as we work to find out who is responsible.
"We understand the community will be concerned and, as such, we have deployed extra patrols to reassure them. If you have information that could help us with our investigation, please come forward. Anything said can be done so in confidence or anonymously."
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