Six men have been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences after armed police closed off a street in Manchester following a firearms discharge in the city’s Gay Village.

Officers were first called to the scene on Richmond Street, which runs adjacent to Canal Street in the city centre, in the early hours of this morning (Saturday, January 24). 

Upon arrival at an address, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said, officers found a man with an injury to a leg “consistent with a gunshot wound”. A firearm was also found, police said.

The spokesperson said: “Six men have been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences after a firearms discharge in the city centre. Officers were called to Richmond Street at around 5am this morning (Saturday 24 January 2026) to reports of a disturbance. Upon arriving at the address, officer located an adult male with an injury to a leg which is consistent with a gunshot wound.

“They have been taken to hospital with injuries that have been described as non-life threatening and non-life changing. Six men aged between 23 and 26 years have all been arrested on suspicion of affray and firearms offences and remain in police custody for questioning. Investigations are ongoing.”

Superintendent Stephen Wiggins said the force “believe this is a targeted incident, and there is no wider threat to the general public”.

He said: “This will undoubtedly be a concerning incident to be waking up to, not just for those who live and work in the city centre, but for the whole of Greater Manchester. Once the call came in, our officers acted quickly, making to the scene to established what had unfolded at the address on Richmond Street, detaining six individuals who we believe have been involved in this incident. We have managed to recover a firearm at the address.

“Since 2023, our colleagues in the Serious Crime Division have taken 168 firearms off our streets in Greater Manchester, underlining how serious we take gun crime across the force. I would like to reassure the community that we believe this is a targeted incident, and there is no wider threat to the general public.”

Greater Manchester Police are now appealing for witnesses or any information about this incident – anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist their investigation should contact GMP on 0161 856 4259 or 101 quoting log 600 of 24/01/2026.

People can also report information via LiveChat on the police website or through the independent charity Crimestoppers – anonymously – on 0800 555 111.