Jessie's family speaks

Barbara Reid's son Jessie James was shot dead in Moss Side, Manchester, in the early hours of Saturday.

She urged the community to act against gun crime, saying: "Enough is enough."

Mrs Reid denied the killing was connected to her other son Elmo, 18, who is serving seven years for robbery and possessing an imitation firearm.

'Mistake'

Police have said they believe Jessie was not a gang member and may have been shot mistakenly.

We're in a maze it seems, and we just need to come together as a community Barbara Reid, Jessie's mother

The Manchester Academy High School pupil, who lived in Moss Side, was killed with a semi-automatic pistol in a park on Raby Street.

A post-mortem examination showed he was killed by three bullets - two to his torso and one to his appendix.

Mrs Reid, a member of the local Seventh Day Adventist Church, said her son had been "a happy, loving, God-fearing, lad".

She said: "He loved life. He was very adventurous. He was very respected in this neighbourhood.

"Although I haven't confronted the killer as yet, I know my creator God knows exactly where he is and I'm appealing to people's mothers and fathers, cousins and extended families.

"Do not sit down with my son's blood on your hands."

The killing shocked the community

In an appeal to the local community to take action against gun crime, she added: "Enough is enough. We can't go on like this.

"We're in a maze it seems, and we just need to come together as a community, not just talking behind doors but take action, positive action."

She acknowledged some members of the community may be afraid to come forward and give information to the police, but added: "I've lost my son.

"I can't do much but what I can do, I will. They can kill me because they have already killed me inside."

Parties

Explaining why Jessie had been out in the early hours, his sister Rosemary Reid said: "Jessie's a teenager.

"They like to go out with their friends and go to parties. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

"He came home and told us where he was going. He always let us know where he was going and when he would be back."

The police are reviewing how well they responded to the shooting, after Mrs Reid raised concerns about how long it took for a police family liaison officer to visit her family.

Schoolboy Jessie James was studying for his GCSEs

A 15-year-old boy who was shot dead in Manchester may have been killed in a planned execution, according to Greater Manchester Police.

Jessie James was gunned down in the early hours of Saturday close to a public park in Moss Side.

Supt John O'Hare said: "It is still early days. We do not know of any motive yet, but we believe this was a planned attack."

But Jessie's friends say he was an innocent victim in the wrong place.

They said he had simply been cycling to a party.

It is the second fatal shooting in Moss Side in less than three months.

I want the people who pulled the trigger to realise what the family are going through Supt John O'Hare

Jessie, who lived in Greame Street, Moss Side, attended the nearby Manchester Academy High School.

Kathy August, the academy's principal, issued a statement saying: "On behalf of Manchester Academy I would like to express my deepest sadness at the tragic loss of one our boys.

"Jessie had been one of our students for the past three years. He was a very likeable boy who was trying hard to succeed in his GCSEs."

Detectives are now waiting for the results of forensic tests and the post-mortem examination to establish how many shots were fired and what type of weapon was used.

In the meantime, they are appealing for help from the public to find Jessie's killers, who struck at around 0230 BST.

"If there are people that can stop this and have the power to stop it, I'm asking them to examine their consciences, think about the family, think about the community, and have the strength to put a stop to it," said Supt O'Hare.

"I want the people who pulled the trigger to realise what the family are going through."

The area has been sealed off while forensic experts investigate

Police patrols are being stepped up in the area and a murder inquiry has been opened.

The Raby Street area has been sealed off for investigators to carry out a detailed search around the crime scene.

The killing comes less than three months after 45-year-old Ernest Gifford was gunned down at his home on the street while his partner and her children were in the property.

And last month, three men were shot and wounded in two separate incidents in Moss Side.

Concern is now mounting among locals the area could once again be a centre of gun violence.

Pastor Michael Simpson from the Manchester Central Seventh Day Adventist Church - where Jessie's family worship - said the teenager was "always polite" and "always kind".

And, expressing concern for the safety of other youngsters living in the area, he added: "I hope that the police are able to do their job and to come up with some answers, not just for the parents, but for the community as well.

"We need to know in the community what's going on, why this is happening and where the guns are coming from."