A man who fired a gun in a residential area of Salford before keeping armed officers at bay for four hours has been jailed for six years.

Adam Wass (21/10/1989), of no fixed address, pulled the trigger of a firearm at a woman on St Joseph’s Drive on Sunday 1 February 2026. Fortunately, the weapon misfired and no bullet was discharged.

Wass then fired the gun a second time, again aiming at the woman as she fled and took cover behind a car, where she called police. On this occasion, a bullet was discharged.

Following the shooting, Wass entered a nearby property and threatened a man inside before he was able to flee unharmed.

Armed officers were deployed to the area at around 8.15pm. Wass barricaded himself inside the address and refused to surrender despite remaining in possession of the firearm.

After a four-hour standoff, he eventually emerged and was arrested by firearms officers.

Wass admitted the following offences under the Firearms Act 1968:

• Possession of a firearm when prohibited
• Possession of a prohibited firearm

He was sentenced to six years at Manchester Crown Court on 13 October 2026.

Detective Constable Alicia Wood-Potter, of Salford Challenger, said: “Wass is a dangerous individual who is now rightly behind bars.

“He put two innocent people through a terrifying ordeal and it is only by sheer luck that neither suffered serious injury or worse.

“Guns have no place on our streets and we remain relentless in our efforts to remove firearms from our communities and bring those responsible for gun-related crime to justice.

“Fortunately, firearms discharges remain rare in Salford. Every day, officers are working to identify offenders, disrupt criminal activity and recover weapons. Every firearm we take off the streets is a potential tragedy prevented.”

Greater Manchester Police continues to make substantial progress in tackling firearms crime. There were 16 firearms discharges across Greater Manchester in 2025, compared with 70 in 2021.

Since 2021, officers have recovered more than 400 firearms as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt serious organised crime and reduce the threat posed by illegal weapons.

During 2025/26 alone, 62 firearms were seized from the streets of Greater Manchester.

Anyone with information about firearms offences can contact police or report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Credit Image Greater Manchester Police