Two men wounded in shooting

Two men were hurt today in a double shooting incident.

They received gunshot wounds in Rochdale in the early hours - but the shooting was not thought to be connected to two gun murders in Greater Manchester within the past week, police sources said today.

Just 24 hours earlier, Junaid Khan, 21, was gunned down in the car park of a doctor's surgery in Chadderton.

Nasar Hussain, 30, was shot six times while working in a shop in Salford on Saturday night.

Police were called to Yorkshire Street in Rochdale town centre shortly after 12.50am today following reports that a man had been shot in the leg.

He was taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening.

A second man, targeted in the same incident, suffered gunshot wounds to his hand and admitted himself to Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said detectives were making "urgent inquiries" into the latest shooting.

Police sources said it was not being linked with either of the fatal shootings in Chadderton and Salford, which were understood to be drugs-related.

"We are in the initial stages of the investigation but we understand it is not connected with the other incidents," the source said.

Last night the head of GMP's serious crime division said police were investigating whether there were any links between the murders of Mr Khan and Mr Hussain.

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Heywood said: "A young man (Mr Khan) with his whole life ahead of him has died, a tragedy for him and his family and we must make sure those responsible are caught.

"We know there has been speculation that this murder is linked to the shooting in Salford at the weekend. That is obviously a line of inquiry but at this stage no evidence of a link has been uncovered.

"But I would stress that both investigative teams are working very closely together - in fact, they are based beside each other in the same building - to establish if there are any links."

Armed officers patrolled the streets of Chadderton and surrounding areas in Oldham yesterday to provide a high-visibility presence, along with extra unarmed officers, to act as a deterrent and reassure members of the public.

Mr Khan suffered serious wounds to his leg and groin after he was gunned down in the car park of a doctor's surgery in Block Lane, Chadderton.

Thirteen people were arrested in connection with Mr Hussain's murder at the Brookhouse Wines shop in Winton, Salford. Twelve were later bailed while a 20-year-old man remains in custody on suspicion of murder.