Residents in a rural village which has become the centre of a murder investigation have been left reeling after the violent death of a devoted dad.
The body of Liam Smith, 38, was discovered 'covered in substance' on Kilburn Drive in the village of Shevington in Wigan, at around 7pm on Thursday (November 24).
Initial findings from a Home Office post-mortem have indicated the dad, who was from the village, suffered a fatal gunshot wound and had been the victim of an acid attack.
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In a tribute, Mr Smith's devastated family described him as 'kind hearted,' 'funny' and 'the life and soul of the party.' "He was the most devoted dad," they added.
A murder investigation has since been launched by detectives from GMP, and the street of Kilburn Drive has been blocked off by a huge police cordon.
As investigators dressed in hazmat suits combed the street for evidence on Sunday afternoon, residents in the area expressed their shock over the tragedy.
"You never dream of anything like this happening here," said one man, who lives on Kilburn Drive. "It's so quiet usually and we are all just shocked.
"We didn't hear anything at all on Thursday night. We heard all the police sirens but nothing before that. A policeman came round about 11pm to interview us. It's such a violent crime it's awful."
Another woman who lives on the street, said: "In the whole 13 years I've lived here I've never known anything like it. It's very frightening and sad.
"I didn't know the man but I'd recognise him if I saw him on the street. We didn't know anything about it all until my husband came back and said there were lots of police. It's such a quiet sleepy village usually."
Another resident, who lives nearby, said: "We heard all the sirens at about 8pm. There were police, ambulance and fire engines so we thought it was a fire at first.
"We couldn't believe it when we heard what happened. It's usually very quiet in Wigan in general but especially around here. It's awful. Very sad."
Detectives are said to be working tirelessly to establish the exact details of the incident, which took place in 'unique and shocking circumstances on a quiet residential street.'
The police cordon on Kilburn Drive has been up since Thursday night and is expected to remain in place until Monday (28 November) at the earliest.
They have reassured that the hazardous substances found on Mr Smith's body are not believed to pose any further harm, threat or risk to the public in the area and have been contained.
However, anyone who has had direct contact with the body at the time is advised to speak to officers or seek medical advice immediately.
Regulars at the local village pub also expressed their shock after hearing about what had happened on Kilburn Drive. "Usually if you do hear a siren round here it's an ambulance because it's quite an elderly population," one local said.
"Nothing like what came out in the news. I read it on Facebook first but didn't believe it until I saw what GMP put out. I've lived here for 18 months and I didn't know the guy. I don't know if he was new here or just kept himself to himself. It's very shocking though."
One man, who lives on nearby Shevington Lane, said: "Everyone I've spoken to says he was a decent lad and not mixed up in anything. Everyone is really shocked it's such a quiet area to live, nothing like this ever happens."
Another resident said: "I don't know anything other than hearing the sirens. There were emergency services parked all the way down Kilburn Drive on Thursday night.
"It's just a complete shock and very frightening to be honest. The only sirens you hear usually are the ones passing through it's usually so quiet. I don't know the guy but it's very sad."
Members of the public are being urged not to approach or contact anyone they suspect of being involved in the offence. Anyone with information is instead asked to contact GMP if they witness something or have witnessed anything unusual, including between the times of 8am and 7pm on Thursday, on Kilburn Drive.
Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand from GMP’s Major Incident Team, who is leading this investigation, said: "This is a shocking murder of a much-loved family man.
"I have a team of detectives working around the clock and I urge anyone who has seen anything unusual or out of the ordinary near to the victim’s home during the day and early evening of Thursday, November 24, to contact the Major Incident Room.
"This is the first fatal shooting in the Manchester area for over two years and we are determined to recover the weapon and find Liam’s killer."
Specialist officers are taking precautions surrounding this incident and residents are urged not to be alarmed when they are seen in the area wearing protective clothing, as this is purely precautionary as per the standard procedure at the scene.
Paying tribute to him, Mr Smith's family said in a brief statement yesterday: "Liam was kind hearted, funny, the life and soul of the party. He was the most devoted dad, much loved son, brother, grandson and uncle. He will sorely be missed by all who knew and loved him."
Any details should be passed via the LiveChat function on gmp.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 910 of November 25, 2022.
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