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Who Was 'Salford's Mr Big' Paul Massey?

Who Was 'Salford's Mr Big' Paul Massey?

He is said to have been loved and hated in equal measure.

Paul Massey may have spent time in prison for stabbing a man in the groin in a nightclub but within hours of his death one friend described him on Twitter as "a true gentleman".

Someone else clearly didn't agree.

The 55-year-old, once described by a local councillor as "Salford's Mr Big", was shot dead outside his home in the city in a cold-blooded and targeted attack.

Police were called at 7.30pm on Sunday after reports of shots being fired at a house on Manchester Road in Salford's Clifton area.

Detective Superintendent Russ Jackson of Greater Manchester Police said: "People will understandably be alarmed when they hear about this incident, which we believe was a targeted attack.

"We are actively following a number of lines of enquiry.

"I would urge the local community to come forward if they saw or heard anything in the area... I want to stress that any information received will be treated in the strictest confidence."

Mr Massey had long been a notorious figure and was well-known to the police.

In 1999, he was jailed for 14 years for the nightclub stabbing.

He was extradited after fleeing to Amsterdam.

After being released he was again arrested by police on suspicion of money laundering but was released without charge. He claimed to have been the victim of a witch-hunt.

The following year he stood in Salford's first mayoral elections promising if elected to take the job unpaid promising to be "the voice of the people".

He finished seventh out of ten candidates, receiving less than 5% of the poll.

As police vehicles blocked traffic outside his home on the main A666 road today, fears of a revenge attack were growing.

Manchester's Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd appealed for calm saying: "As horrendous as this most certainly is, the police will be working to make sure that ordinary members of the public can go about their business with a proper sense of security.

"Clearly no-one wants to see any further retaliation.

"The right answer for this is for people to come forward and help the police to arrest those who are responsible - because that's what will put a stop to guns in Salford."

The shooting raises fears of a surge in gun crime in Manchester.

After achieving much success in trying to rid the city of it's "Gunchester" tag armed crime has seen a significant rise so far this year and feuding between rival gangs appears to have escalated.