Armed police were scrambled after a gunman opened fire at a funeral in Manchester, England, attended by hundreds of mourners despite Covid-19 social distancing orders. The attacker was reportedly stabbed by some of the crowd.
The shocking incident took place at Gorton Cemetery on Thursday, where family and friends were paying their last respects to 38 year-old Clive Pinnock, killed in a recent driving collision. The funeral was interrupted by a man firing shots, with witnesses saying he was then slashed with a knife, resulting in severe face lacerations, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Eyewitness footage of the funeral shared on social media showed a large group of mourners gathered in the cemetery, purportedly taken just before the gunman began peppering shots at the crowd.
Gunman enters funeral of Clive Pinnock in Manchester and opens fire in crowds .He was then disarmed and stabbed and arrested by armed police yesterday in Gorton #streetnews#funeral#armedpolicepic.twitter.com/2sX1Lu6QhM
Armed police were called to the scene, and swooped in to disarm the gunman – and protect him in turn from his attackers. There were no reports of any injuries to the other attendees.
Local reports say it’s understood that three shots were fired, with the gunman taken to hospital for treatment.
Greater Manchester Police later released a statement on the incident saying: “Shortly before 7pm on Thursday, police attended Gorton Cemetery on Woodland Avenue, Gorton, following a report of a firearms discharge. A man aged 34 was found to have suffered knife wounds and was taken to hospital.”
Officers are continuing to investigate the incident, but no arrests have been confirmed by the force.
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