Community react to killing in Shawclough

Woman dies following stabbing on Shawclough Way

The community in and around Shawclough, where a woman was killed last night, have described the incident as ‘shocking’.

A number of residents living close by to the scene have stated that the area is usually quiet with a rare police presence.

One neighbour who spoke to Rochdale Online described people as “keeping themselves to themselves” and another added “I just saw the blue flashing lights when I was in bed but didn’t know what went on until this morning.”

A resident who lives close to where the incident took place, agreed that the area is quiet and stated that the police “are never here”.

Speaking to Rochdale Online, she said: “I haven’t slept all night because of the thought of someone having a gun or a knife. It’s shocking. It’s really quiet up here and the police are never around.”

She recalls being sat on the sofa at about 10:30pm and seeing flashing lights and vans rushing down the road.

She added: “We often have an ambulance come to the bottom of the road because I think there is an elderly man or woman who has regular check-ups so when I saw the lights, I just thought it was the ambulance. I then heard the chopper circling for ages and the next thing, there were loads of police.”

The resident read about the incident and saw that a firearm had been involved.

“That’s when I panicked,” she said. “I went to wake my mum up and told her that someone had been shot on the street. It’s so traumatic. I’ve not been to sleep all night. Nothing ever happens here and when I heard that a gun was involved, I was shocked. It is so quiet.”

It is understood that the incident happened at 66 Shawclough Way.

Armed officers were deployed to the location, where they discovered a 35-year-old woman with stab injuries. She later died from her injuries.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/97283/woman-dies-following-stabbing-on-shawclough-way-two-men-arrested

The resident added: “Everything seems to have quietened down now. The police are still here and so are the forensics, but people seem to have stopped looking at what’s going on.”