Police confirm man in Wigan was shot and was the victim of an acid attack

The body of 38-year-old Liam Smith was found in Shevington with "hazardous substances" on it

Author: Nathan MarshPublished 27th Nov 2022

Police have given us another update on their investigations into the death of a man in Wigan whose body was found with potentially "hazardous substances" on it.

38-year-old Liam Smith was found dead on Thursday night on Kilburn Drive in Shevington.

Detectives have now confirmed Smith was shot and had been subjected to an acid attack.

A Home Office post-mortem has taken place and his family are being supported by specially trained officers.

A cordon is currently still in place at the location with no disruption to the wider area.

Liam Smith

Police say they're working tirelessly to establish the exact details of this murder, which took place in unique and shocking circumstances on a quiet residential street.

Following examination and tests, the hazardous substances are believed to not pose any further harm, threat or risk to the public in the surrounding area and have been contained.

A reminder, if anyone has had direct contact with the body at the time they should still speak to officers or seek medical advice immediately.

It is important that the public do no approach or contact anyone they suspect of being involved in this offence. Anyone with information should instead use the contact details below if they witness something or have witnessed anything unusual, including between the times of 8am and 7pm on Thursday 24 November on Kilburn Drive.

Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand from GMP’s Major Incident Team said:

“This is a shocking murder of a much-loved family man. I have a team of detectives working around the clock and I urge anyone who has seen anything unusual or out of the ordinary near to the victim’s home during the day and early evening of Thursday 24 November to contact the Major Incident Room. This is the first fatal shooting in the Manchester area for over two years and we are determined to recover the weapon and find Liam’s killer.”

Specialist officers are taking precautions surrounding this incident, and police say people should not be alarmed when they are seen in the area wearing protective clothing, saying this is purely precautionary as per the standard procedure at the scene.

Any details should be passed via the LiveChat function on gmp.police.uk or by calling 101 quoting incident number 910 of 25/11/2022.