Greater Manchester Police have launched a murder investigation after a man in his 30s was pronounced dead at a flat on Kempster Gardens in Salford this morning (August 12). Officers were called to the scene at 5.19am following reports of a disturbance, and another man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody for questioning.
Neighbours report hearing shouts for help
Neighbours at the scene told the Manchester Evening News they heard shouts for help in the early hours of this morning. One resident, who lives on the same side of the street, said the two men, believed to be living together, had moved in between two and four weeks ago and had 'never caused any problems'.
"There had been some sort of party on Saturday night with friends coming and going with beers," she said. "All was quiet on Monday night. I woke up at around 5:30 this morning and heard shouts of 'help' and 'call the police'. I thought someone was just messing about so I ignored it and went back to bed."
She added: "In the morning we saw the police cars and a man being arrested and taken away. I didn't take it seriously at the time but I feel a bit sick to my stomach now. What if I had called the police earlier, would they have come sooner... I feel guilty for ignoring it."
Officers seen in tears as forensics work at scene
Another neighbour reported seeing a police officer leaving the flat in tears as forensics worked at the scene. Crime scene investigation vans and armed officers were also present, with forensics officers going in and out of the flat.
A woman who lives on the other side of the road, who has lived there for 13 years, said: "It is a nice estate, a mix of different people, private and social tenants, some elderly people, usually very quiet. I heard some shouting, saw the police come and saw them carrying a big red key so maybe they had to force entry."
She continued: "There was some confusion about what was happening, at first they didn't tell us there had been a death. I saw one police man coming out in tears. They had no issues before, they would say hi, how are you, seemed alright. Everyone keeps themselves to themselves."
Police believe incident is isolated
Greater Manchester Police have said they believe the incident to be isolated with 'no wider threat' to the community. Officers remained at the scene throughout the day making door-to-door enquiries and speaking to neighbours.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall, said: "We understand this will be a shock to the community after a man has sadly lost his life in the early hours of this morning. Our thoughts are with the man’s family and loved ones at this difficult time."
She added: "We have arrested a man on suspicion of murder, and he remains in police custody. We are not looking for any further suspects and believe this was an isolated incident with no wider threat to the community. Investigators are working around the clock to establish the circumstances which lead to this incident. There will be a noticeable presence of officers deployed to the area while we continue with our investigation in the coming days."
Anyone concerned about crime in their area can contact police on 101 or via the LiveChat function on the GMP website gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
