By Neal Keeling

Copyright manchestereveningnews

The spectre of gun crime has risen again in Greater Manchester, with four shootings in less than a week. The region has thankfully shed its unwanted reputation distilled by deadly inner-city gang warfare in the early 1990s. But events in the last week are a major cause for concern. Between Tuesday (September 16) and Saturday (September 20), Manchester has seen three shootings and Wigan one. One man was shot in the foot in Gorton on Saturday. The gunman remains at large. In another incident on Saturday, a man was arrested in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan , after blank rounds were fired on a residential street. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here It came after a man was detained on suspicion of attempted murder and a string of other crimes following two shootings in Newton Heath within minutes on Tuesday night. The incidents in Gorton and Ashton-in-Makerfield are not thought to be linked to the Newton Heath shootings, or one another. An Assistant Chief Constable at Greater Manchester Police insisted the force’s pursuit of gunmen and the removal of lethal weapons from the streets is ‘relentless’. At around 10pm on Tuesday, an innocent couple and their young son had a miraculous escape when a shot was fired through the window of their home on Ainthorpe Walk in Newton Heath . A dad told the Manchester Evening News how he was left bleeding by a shard of glass after hearing a ‘bang’ and a ‘smash’. He said he had ‘no idea’ why his family’s home had been attacked. Pictures from the scene showed what appeared to be a bullet hole in the window. “I was closing up for the night, about to go to bed and I was closing the kitchen window,” the man said. “I looked out and saw a guy on a moped and I thought it was a delivery driver, I didn’t think much of it. As I closed the window I looked away for a bit and I heard the bang and smash. I ducked down and shimmied to the living room where my wife and son was. “My wife was asking ‘what’s happening?’. I said ‘a brick’s gone through’. I thought it was a brick at first. When I went in the kitchen you could see where the bullet’s ricocheted. I saw a hole in the window. It was like something out of a movie. I was bleeding from my head and I thought I got hit, but it was glass from the window, I had loads of small pieces in the back of my head. “My wife and son are fine but we’re just so shaken up. Especially because we’re such a tight-knit and small family. We have no idea why this happened. We just hope the police catch whoever did it now.” Moments later, a gunman fired another shot through the window of another home on Ballantine Street, about 700 yards from the scene of the first shooting. One neighbour told the Manchester Evening News the shooting was preceded by the sound of a vehicle. “It was around 9.10pm when I heard what sounded like a motorbike on the street outside,” they added. “It had been all quiet before then. “It was revving quite loudly so I had a look out of the window and saw somebody all blacked out on a bike, wearing a dark coat and black balaclava. In an area like this it’s not uncommon to see someone dressed like that so I didn’t think anything of it. “Then, about 10 or 15 minutes later, I heard what sounded like the same bike coming back down the street. Then I heard what honestly sounded like a bag of crisps getting popped. It was two bangs, about 30 seconds apart. “I just thought the bike had backfired. You hear a bang on your street but you don’t just assume that somebody’s window has been shot in. There was no noise or screaming, no sound of glass smashing. I don’t think anybody was in the house at the time. “But it goes through your mind, ‘that wasn’t a firework, that wasn’t a bag of crisps’. Could it have been a gun shot?” Again, images from the scene showed what appeared to be a bullet hole in a window. A 34-year-old man later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder; possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life; and assault after has since been released on bail. A gunman was being hunted by detectives after a man was shot in the foot , with a bullet later recovered from the victim’s shoe, in Gorton on Saturday. The man, 22, escaped with what police described as a ‘graze’. No serious injuries were following the early hours incident. Police were called to Wayland Road, off Ryderbrow Road, at around 12.15am. Armed officers who responded to the incident found a bullet in the victim’s shoe . The suspect, confirmed GMP on Saturday afternoon, remained at large. A huge police cordon was established around the scene as police investigations began. An area near the Ryder Brown Pocket Park and woodland walk, which is adjacent to allotments backing onto Hyde Road, was sealed off. Forensics investigators in white suits were pictured gathering evidence at the scene and multiple police vehicles were in attendance. A team of Tactical Aid Unit officers searched through litter and grass verges at the end of the road, as well as down a footpath running alongside the park. Walking in a line in driving rain, they carried out fingertip searches and checked for potential evidence underneath cars parked up in the area. Detectives also went door-to-door in the area to ask residents for any CCTV footage. “It is generally okay around here… pretty safe,” said one resident at the scene. “I haven’t heard of a shooting around here before. The police came and knocked on our door this morning to ask if we had any CCTV. It is scary. “All the police were here but we didn’t know what had happened,” added another. “They have been here ever since.” In a fourth incident in less than a week, two blank rounds were fired at around 11.09am on Saturday on Bevington Street , in Ashton-in-Makerfield. A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and the weapon was seized. Neighbours reported seeing a large police presence. A GMP spokesperson said: “Officers responded to reports of a firearms discharge on Bevington Street in Ashton-in-Makerfield at 11.09am. “It is believed two blank rounds were discharged an no injuries have been reported. The firearm has been seized. This is an isolated incident with no wider threat to the public. A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm. He is in police custody.” One man told the Manchester Evening News there were ‘loads of police’ on the street, including armed officers. Assistant Chief Constable John Webster said: “Our relentless pursuit to remove illegal firearms from circulation has seen an 8.9 per cent increase in recoveries from the previous year’s total of 79. Between April 2024 and April 2025, we successfully took 86 firearms off Greater Manchester’s streets. “As a result of this work, there was a 59pc decrease in discharges over that year (29) in comparison to 2021 (71), meaning the work we have done in recovering firearms has prevented critical incidents and potential lives have been saved. “Scores of firearms have been seized as a result of proactive policing operations and planned raids by districts and our Serious Organised Crime Group. Weapons such as self-loading pistols, machine guns, shotguns and many more have been recovered. “In February of this year, we played a pivotal role in the nationwide operation targeting Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers, covering models; Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow. “The force also recovered 76 blank-firers – separate to the 86 we recovered this year – along with several hundred rounds of ammunition as part of a coordinated surrender scheme, representing one of the highest recovery rates of any force in the country during this initiative. “Since April 2021, we have recovered 315 viable firearms – with at least 119 of them having been converted blank firers. ACC Webster added: “Although there have been four reported firearms discharges across Greater Manchester this week, there is no wider threat to the public and people can be reassured that we are proactively pursuing enquiries in all our investigations.” GMP say work is ongoing to identify the offender in relation to the Gorton shooting. A spokesperson added: “We believe this incident is not linked to the firearms discharges in Newton Heath. “With regard to [Saturday’s] firearms discharge on Bevington Street in Ashton-in-Makerfield, it is believed two blank rounds were discharged and no injuries were reported. The firearm was seized. A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm. He remains in police custody. “Thankfully, only two people reported suffering minor injuries in relation to all the discharges.”