A 15-year-old boy was shot dead in a planned gang-style execution, police said.
The teenager, named as Jessie James, was blasted to death close to a basketball court on a public park in Moss Side, Manchester. Police were called and found the boy dead from gunshot wounds.
Jessie lived on Graeme Street, in Moss Side, less than half a mile from where he was murdered, and attended Manchester Academy high school nearby.
Kathy August, principal of Jessie's school, said: "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.
"Every death of a young person is tragic but for a mother to lose her son and for our school to lose one of our boys in such a violent way is heartbreaking."
The officer leading the investigation said the youngster had been targeted. Supt John O'Hare, speaking at the crime scene, said: "It is still early days, we do not know of any motive yet, but we believe this was a planned attack."
Mr O'Hare said family liaison officers were now helping the youngster's family to come to terms with their loss. He added: "I want the people who pulled the trigger to realise what the family are going through.
"We would like to extend our sympathy to the boy's family and the community of Moss Side. We will be stepping up police patrols in the area. Moss Side is working extremely hard and we must now stay strong and focused for the long term.
"There is a 15-year-old boy who is lying dead, if there are people who can stop, I am asking them to examine their consciences and come forward."
Detectives are now waiting for the results of forensic tests and a post mortem on the victim to determine how many shots were fired and what type of weapon was used.
