Two men have now been jailed to a total of 34 years after violence broke out across South Manchester and Stockport at the beginning of 2023.
During the incident gunshots were aimed at residential properties and one inside the DRIP burger bar on Kingsway, Manchester while customers were inside eating.
At Minshull Street Crown Court on 9 June, Zaki Shazad aged 22 of Ranford Road, Levenshulme, was sentenced to 16 years after previously being found guilty of conspiracy to possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Kieran Morgan aged 28 of Dean Street, Failsworth, who had also pleaded guilty to conspiracy possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life at a previous court hearing, received a sentence of 18 years with an extra five years on licence.
Extensive CCTV evidence had shown that these two men were responsible for three firearms discharges, the first of which occurred on 12 March 2023 at Dorac Avenue, Heald Green, Stockport.
Morgan approached the address and discharged a shotgun before throwing a homemade firework and explosive, which was caught on the doorbell footage at the property. Forensic testing later revealed this to be hydrochloric acid.
The second happened on 21 April 2023 at an address on Wilmslow Road, also in Heald Green.
CCTV caught the driver, who has been found not guilty, dropping Morgan off, before he pulled up his hood and covered his face.
A family were in the driveway of the targeted address, including a six-year-old girl, when Morgan pulled out a sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun.
Managing to take cover in a vehicle, the victims described hearing an “explosion” as the gun went off. Morgan then made his getaway in the vehicle, a blue-coloured VW Golf.
The third and final firearms discharge occurred on 30 April 2023, when a lone gunman entered DRIP Burger on Wilmslow Road. He fired towards the back of the shop and another, towards the counter.
CCTV from inside the shop at the time showed two customers and one member of staff near the counter and several staff members preparing orders at the back. Miraculously, no-one was seriously injured.
Before the firearms discharge, the gunman – Morgan – was seen on CCTV outside DRIP, as he approached the premises.
CCTV footage was used in an appeal to identify one of the men – Morgan – who had been seen wearing a dark-coloured Canada Goose jacket with a light, fur-lined hood.
This is a detail that would later identify him, as he posted a picture of himself to social media, wearing the same jacket.
He also removed his balaclava after one particular firearms discharge, which was then picked up by CCTV from a house a couple of streets away, which clearly showed his face.
Specialist officers also analysed cell site data, which positively placed the two defendants in the discharge areas, just moments before they occurred.
Snapchat messages analysed from Morgan’s phone following arrests showed communication with Shazad discussing proposed “jobs” – including the attack on DRIP Burger.
Detective Inspector Lee Newburn said:
“Violence, particularly this kind of revenge violence, will not be tolerated on the streets of Manchester.
“Today we have seen two dangerous individuals locked up for their parts in a number of firearms discharges targeting properties where innocent people were present.
“It is miraculous that no-one was seriously injured during these firearms discharges, but they could very easily have been.
“One of the victims of these shootings has described to me how scared she now is to go out in public and just how shaken she is about what happened. Nobody should be made to feel like this.
“We continue to work very closely with the communities in and around Greater Manchester to ensure that we protect them from this kind of violence, and we are grateful for the intelligence that we receive from them in relation to illegal activity on a daily basis.
“We also work closely with the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), which is a multi-agency team we are part of, and we seek to prevent violence from occurring by addressing underlying issues and educating those who may be at risk of re-offending.
“We do this by providing valuable input in prevention work that our partners are carrying out on an ongoing basis, working behind the scenes to manage serious incidents before they occur.
“That is why we are asking, if you know anyone who is using, or possesses, an illegal firearm, we urge you to get in touch with us as, for each firearm we recover, that’s potentially a life saved.”I’m
