FIVE women in the West Midlands, including in Stourbridge, have been arrested in connection with a double murder in Manchester.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police travelled down to the West Midlands to carry out early morning warrants at five addresses across Stourbridge, Birmingham and Handsworth this morning (October 27).

They were assisted by West Midlands Police and the National Crime Agency.

Five women, aged between 33 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and were taken to custody for questioning.

The warrants came as part of an investigation by detectives from Greater Manchester's Major Incident Team into the fatal shootings of Cheriff Tall and Abayome Ajose.

Both men were shot in the head at a party attended by up to 400 people in the Moss Side area of Manchester, in the early hours of June 21 2020.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Wilkinson, from Major Investigation Team at Greater Manchester Police, said: "The murder of these two men caused shockwaves throughout the Moss Side community which are still felt over a year on from the shooting, and the families have been left with many unanswered questions and no one to hold accountable for the death of their loved ones.

"Our detectives have been working continuously on this case for over a year, collecting all available evidence both forensically and from witnesses, and investigate all leads and possibilities thoroughly and exhaustively as we work to ensure that the individual responsible will face the full consequences of his actions.

"The families are always in the forefront of our minds, and I hope that these arrests today bring us a step closer to providing them with the justice they are rightly entitled to.

"Although we are hopeful that today's arrests could play an important part in our investigation, it is essential that anyone who has any further information about the man responsible for this horrific crime comes forwards, as the more information we have, the closer we are to removing this criminal from the streets and ensuring he is no longer a danger to others in the community."