The man known as Salford’s Mr Big has been reportedly shot dead outside his home in Clifton.
Police discovered the body of Fifty five year old Paul Massey, after receiving reports of shots being fired at a house on Manchester Road on Sunday but have yet to confirm officially that the victim was Massey.
Paul Massey first hit the headlines in the early 1990’s after being named as being linked to a shooting of a police van during disturbances in Ordsall , a link that he denied.
He achieved notoriety after stabbing a man in the groin at The Beat’n Track club in Manchester following an altercation with revellers.
He fled to Amsterdam but the incident had been witnessed by a police officer and was extradited back to Britain and sentenced to 14 years.
On his release, he was involved in property and security but never lost the tag of being a major player in organised crime.
In 2011 he was one of six people arrested over money laundering charges and was on bail for over three years, insisting again earlier this year that he was innocent.
Massey had in recent years become involved in trying to mediate between rival Salford gangs.
In 2012, he stood in Salford’s Mayoral Candidate elections where he polled 2,000 votes and had indicated that he would once again be standing next year.
Detective Chief 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.
“I would like to reassure the public that we have a heightened level of police officers in the area tonight while we establish the full circumstances of the incident and identify those responsible.
“We are actively following a number of lines of enquiry however, I would urge the local community to come forward if they saw or heard anything in the area this evening.
