Man arrested after gun fired at Manchester funeral

Man arrested after gun fired at Manchester funeral

A man is under arrest after a gun was fired as hundreds of mourners gathered to break lockdown laws for the chaotic funeral of a criminal known as

Graves were trampled on and armed police scrambled to Gorton Cemetery in Manchester on Thursday for the funeral of local man Clive Pinnock.

The 38-year-old died in a road crash earlier this month.

After his funeral, a 34-year-old was arrested after the gun was fired and police were called to a nearby street to find him suffering from minor knife wounds.

He was taken to hospital and was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The suspect has since been discharged from hospital and has been remanded in custody to be questioned by detectives, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

Detective Inspector Claire Moss, of GMP's City of Manchester division, said: "Whilst we currently have a man in custody, I want to make it very clear that our investigation does not stop here. We are progressing a variety of forensic and CCTV opportunities to make sure that those responsible are brought to justice.

"I would appeal to anyone who has any information to please get in touch and help us, as even the smallest detail can assist our enquiries."

The force said police had "engaged" with the Pinnock family to discuss funeral arrangements and government social distancing rules, and a "careful assessment" was made about the gathering.

In a statement, Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, of GMP, said: "Our overriding priority was to ensure that the wider public were kept safe.

"We continued to closely monitor the situation and as it progressed it was clear that the emotions of those at the gathering were high and therefore a decision was made, in the interests of public safety, not to intervene unless the wider public were put at risk by the groups.

"We understand that there has been public concern regarding the events of yesterday. We want to sincerely thank the majority of the public, many of whom are struggling with the loss of loved ones, who have not risked the safety of others by attending gatherings such as funerals in breach of government guidelines."

Pinnock, from Longsight, south Manchester, was killed after the Kawasaki motorbike he was riding was involved in a collision with a BMW in Manchester on April 8.

GMP continue to investigate.

In 2015 he was jailed for 11 years after stabbing two men following a row in a pub in the city.

Anyone with information about the incident at the cemetery is encouraged to contact police on 0161 856 1146 or 101, quoting incident number 2455 of 23/04/20. Reports can also be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Published: by Radio NewsHub
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