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Salford triple stabbing: Neighbours heard screams as men in balaclavas attacked family in home

Police are appealing for information about ‘targeted attack’ in Salford last week

Maanya Sachdeva
Monday 21 August 2023 10:49 EDT
A generic stock photo of police tape outside a crime scene (Peter Byrne/PA)
A generic stock photo of police tape outside a crime scene (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)

Loud screams were heard from a home in Greater Manchester, where three people were found with knife wounds after a stabbing attack last Friday, neighbours have said.

A mother, father, and their son were stabbed by three men wearing masks and balaclavas in a “targeted” attack at their home on Velour Close in Salford on 18 August, police said.

Officers of the Greater Manchester Police force responded to the scene following reports of people shouting for help at around 2:30pm.

The victims were transported to hospital where one of the men underwent surgery for a “life-changing” injury, GMP said on Sunday 20 August.

One of the family’s neighbours said they knew “something was seriously wrong” when they heard loud screams coming from the apartment.

They told Manchester Evening News: “I heard the screams coming from the flat. I thought it was a domestic but then things got more heated, there was a commotion and all of a sudden things were being thrown around and I knew something was seriously wrong.

“It was so loud I thought it was outside. They were screaming and shouting and a woman was screaming for help from the window.

“There was a car outside that I didn’t realise had anything to do with it. Then, about four to five minutes later, three individuals came running out completely covered up, jumped in the car and sped off,” they added.

They also said the attack is “very jarring and concerning”, explaining that it’s “unusual” to have anything happen in the neighbourhood.

Another eyewitness described seeing as many as six ambulances and 10 police vans outside the house, after the attack.

GMP in an update on Sunday said one of the two men had surgery for a “life-changing” injury, while the other man and woman have been discharged from hospital.

Meanwhile, police are appealing for information from anyone who was in the area at the time of the “isolated, targeted, and unprovoked attack” as they continue their investigations.

Detective Chief Inspector Yanica Weir said: “This appears to be an isolated, targeted and unprovoked attack, in which three men in masks and balaclavas were seen leaving the address on Velour Close following the attack.

“We are carrying out house-to-house enquiries and doing a CCTV trawl from the area, and we are now looking for anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, to come forward.

“If anyone has any CCTV, mobile or dashcam footage in or around Velour Close on Friday 18 August, to please let us know.

“We can be contacted via 101 quoting log number 001978-18082023 or information can be passed anonymously via the independent charity - Crimestoppers - on 0800 555 111.”

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