Twenty-four-year-old father of three Dean Eccleston lived in Longsight, Manchester, England. He had been in some trouble with the law, but was not a known member of any gang. Despite this, his mother claimed he usually slept with a gun under his pillow and tended to wear a bulletproof vest whenever he went out.
He was, in fact, wearing one when he left his friend’s home in Chorlton-on-Medlock on October 1st, 2001, but sadly, it didn’t save him.
As Dean was walking with his friend, twenty-six-year-old Darren Shields, a gunman approached and opened fire, shooting Dean seven times before fleeing the area. Darren was not harmed, but Dean was killed outright.
According to Dean’s mother, Sheila, Darren had told her the names of three men who were likely responsible for the shooting, but that he wouldn’t tell authorities who they were for fear of reprisals. The men were believed to be members of the notorious Gooch Close Gang of South Manchester.
Sheila Eccleston was very vocal about calling Darren Shields out for not giving a statement telling investigators what he knew about the murder, but he has remained silent over the years.
The slaying of Dean Eccleston is one of the many unsolved gang homicides in the area, and looks to stay that way if witnesses are too afraid of retaliation to come forward.
Crime Immemorial 