Five men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was found dead at a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) in Salford. Police were called to Great Clowes Street, Lower Broughton, on Wednesday morning (October 7) following the death of a man in his 40s.
Investigation launched after man found unresponsive
Greater Manchester Police said the man was found unresponsive inside the building and died despite the best efforts of emergency services. Five men, aged between 24 and 35, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
GMP later confirmed the investigation is not being linked to reports of criminal damage at an HMO on nearby Kingsley Avenue, Kersal. Police have twice been called out to that property after it was trashed.
Neighbours describe horror and fear
A witness described a large emergency services presence, with police and air ambulance both in attendance. Another person said roads were 'lined' with ambulances before a large cordon was put in place at around 7.50pm.
"I was driving by when I saw all the police cars," a man who lives nearby told the Manchester Evening News. "It was a scary scene... definitely very worrying for the community to see something like this happen."
Neighbours reported seeing forensic officers carrying out investigations in the early hours. Officers and crime scene investigators trawled the scene for clues as the front door of the property was taped off.
One resident who said she had lived in the area for years said she was deeply troubled by the news. "I've lived here for years... this is shocking to me," she said. "I've honestly never heard anything like that so close to me before. It's extremely worrying when you only live down the road."
Police appeal for information
A university student who has not long moved to the area said she was 'lost for words', adding: "That's absolutely terrifying, I had no idea something like that had happened so close to home. I saw police nearby the other day, but I never would have expected to hear something like that."
A man who saw the emergency response said the area was 'dodgy'. "It's never felt the safest if I'm being totally honest," he added. "But news like this obviously puts you even more on edge."
One woman who lives down the road from the cordon said she was 'not really surprised'. She added: "It's devastating of course, but I'm not shocked. It's the norm now, but it shouldn't be."
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Partington said: "We now have five men in custody as our investigation into the circumstances surrounding this man’s death continues. Our priority is to establish exactly what happened and we are keeping an open mind as we work to build a full picture of the events leading up to his death.
"A post-mortem is taking place to establish the cause of death, which will be an important part of our investigation. We understand that an incident of this nature will understandably cause concern within the local community. At this stage, we are confident that there isn’t any wider threat to the public.
"Officers will remain in the area while enquiries continue, and I would encourage anyone who has information, or who may have witnessed anything that could assist our investigation, to speak to officers or contact us."
GMP have issued an appeal for anyone with information to contact police on 101, use the LiveChat function on GMP's website, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
