Jessie James

A minute’s silence was observed at 9.15 this morning in remembrance of Jessie James, the teenager shot and killed in Moss Side last year. The 15-year-old Manchester Academy schoolboy was riding his bike on his way to party near Broadfield Park on 7th Sept 2006, when two unidentified men approached Jessie and shot him three times at close range. He died before reaching hospital that morning.

Many have speculated whether the shooting was a gangland-style execution. The first arrests in the case were made recently, with two men - already in prison - held for questioning. The two men, aged 20 and 21, were questioned following a sustained police effort over the past year to track down Jessie's killers.

Theories around his death range from his refusal to join a gang, to a case of simple mistaken identity. Many believe that people in the Moss Side community know who the killers are, but refuse to let on. The case is remaining open to fresh evidence.