It became a gangland bloodbath. But to Chris, it was home

The Brass Handles pub in Salford would become infamous as the scene of a horrific gangland shooting that left two men dead. The 2006 killings sent shockwaves through Greater Manchester's criminal underworld.

Until then, the Brass Handles on Edgehill Close in Pendleton was seemingly unremarkable - not just another flat roof estate pub with a rough reputation, but a place of refuge for those living in the housing that overlooked it.

Even the famed Salford artist L.S. Lowry found solace within its quieter corners, Chris Wright told the Manchester Evening News. Chris' dad, Alex, was the first landlord of the Brass Handles pub when it opened in 1975.

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Born in Longsight, Alex had twice tried to start a new life in America. Once after completing his national service, and then 10 years later, this time with Chris in tow after splitting from his mother.

Living in Dallas, Texas, Alex drove Greyhound buses around the US for three years. That was until Chris' gran fell ill and the pair ended their American adventure and returned to Manchester.

After a stint as a cabbie, Alex turned to the pub game, becoming the landlord of numerous pubs. Chris, now 61, told the M.E.N: "My dad was a bit sick of where we were in Ardwick, it's a bit rough and run down - so the boss at Whitbread said to my dad would he be interested in the new pub they're building in Salford. He said he'd give it a go."

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The pub in question was the newly built Brass Handles, close to Salford Precinct. Soon a