A loving mother's life was brutally cut short when she answered her front door to a drug gang hitman in a devastating case of mistaken identity, a court has heard.
Nicole Hurley, 33, was shot through the heart at point-blank range after opening the door of her Salford home, with the gunman apparently targeting the wrong address in what prosecutors describe as a "gangland feud."
A Mother's Final Moments
Manchester Crown Court heard the harrowing details of Nicole's final moments, where she managed to stagger back inside and tell her partner "I can't breathe, I'm going to die" before collapsing. Her two young children were sleeping in the house during the horrific attack.
The prosecution stated that the shooting was part of an ongoing dispute between rival drug gangs in the Greater Manchester area, with the intended target living several doors away from Nicole's innocent family home.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Nicole had no connection to criminal activity and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The court heard how the gunman, Kieron Mather, 27, allegedly lay in wait before approaching the property and firing the fatal shot through the glass panel of the front door.
Prosecutor Michael Hayton KC told jurors: "This was a planned, targeted shooting by a drug gang hitman who got the wrong address. Nicole Hurley was an entirely innocent victim."
Community in Mourning
The tragic incident has left the Salford community reeling, with neighbours describing Nicole as a "devoted mother who lived for her children." Local residents have placed flowers and tributes near the scene of the shooting, expressing their shock and grief over the senseless loss of life.
Police continue to investigate the broader drug gang operations in the area, with several arrests made in connection with the ongoing feud that led to this tragic case of mistaken identity.
