There was a quiet sense of confusion in a tight-knit corner of Bolton this morning after an estate became a crime scene.
Last night, the residents of Farnworth were rocked by a shooting on Parkfield Avenue, before being blighted by a multi-vehicle collision on nearby Bradford Road at roughly 5:20pm. That was then followed by a vehicle crashing into a property on Lavender Road shortly after.
The incidents led police to seal off the junction of Parkfield Avenue and Moorside Avenue until Sunday (November 20) lunchtime. Police are still hunting for the suspects for the three incidents, which cops are 'treating as connected', a spokesperson confirmed .
READ MORE: Armed men burst into pub just an hour after shots fired on street
“We all know each other. It’s mad,” one mum, who asked to stay anonymous, told the Manchester Evening News . “This doesn’t happen all the time. I have been here for 16 years and nothing like this happens usually. I saw the police arrive and they had four big armed jeeps, and the helicopter was out.”
Her neighbours, who also asked to remain anonymous, added: “It’s quite quiet around here. It’s the first time I have seen anything like this in the 12 years I have lived here.”
And another resident said: “It’s pretty quiet here. I just keep myself to myself. It was all cordoned off when I got back at 11pm last night. All the police were about but I did not see anything [of the incident].”
It’s led Superintendent Mark Kenny to boost patrols in the area. He explained: “Specialist officers were deployed swiftly to the scene and are hunting down those involved. No arrests have been made at this time we are treating this as an isolated incident.
"A patrol plan is in place and additional officers have been deployed to the area and will remain in place throughout the night. I understand the concern this may cause in the community, but I wish to reassure you that our investigation is progressing at pace.
"Detectives are at the scene and are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to piece together the circumstances. We are also appealing to anyone with information - or footage of these incidents - to come forwards and share it with us."
The MEN also understands that additional officers remain in place at the scene to offer residents reassurance and will be on hand if neighbours wish to raise concerns or pass on information to them.
Anyone with information on the incident should call 101 with any information you might have, quoting incident number 2439 of 19.11.2022. Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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