Appeal after girls aged 13 and 16 injured in drive-by shooting

Two teenage girls were injured in a shooting outside a family gathering to mark the anniversary of a pensioner’s death, police have said.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) appealed for the public’s help to track down those responsible for the attack in the Moss Side area of the city on Friday at about 10.30pm.

The police originally reported a 16-year-old girl was injured in the shooting, but on Tuesday the force said a second girl aged 13 was also hurt.

Detective Superintendent Chris Downey said: “There was a gathering at an address where family were coming together to celebrate a loved one who passed away.

“From within this vehicle a firearm was produced and discharged at a group of people outside this address.

“Thankfully we didn’t have any murders or very serious injuries but we did have two young victims.

“Two young girls, 16 and 13, were involved in this incident and were hit by pellets from the shot.

“I’m sure everyone can imagine how concerning this is and from my point of view I think we’re incredibly lucky that we didn’t have two murders on that evening.”

Police were made aware two days after the incident that the 13-year-old had suffered minor injuries, Det Supt Downey said.

He said both girls received hospital treatment.

“One of them who was hit by pellets, that will be a long road to recovery and thankfully it’s not life changing,” he said.

Det Supt Downey confirmed the gathering in Quinney Crescent was being held to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Joan Spence, a 70-year-old woman who died in a road traffic collision.

He said: “It was a totally innocent family gathering.”

But Det Supt Downey said police believed the address was specifically targeted as the vehicle had been seen around it on a number of occasions.

He appealed for anyone who was in the vicinity on the evening and saw or heard anything suspicious, or had seen a dark-coloured SUV abandoned since, to contact police.

Det Supt Downey also called for anyone who attended the gathering but had not yet spoken to police to come forward.

To contact police call 0161 856 4382, quoting incident 3388 of 29/07/2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Links will also be posted to GMP’s social media accounts to allow people to share information.