Man shot dead after gunmen target him at home
Dissidents blamed as two attackers murder man named locally as Joe Reilly
DISSIDENTS are being blamed for the brutal murder of a man in his own home in west Belfast last night.
The man, named locally as Joe Reilly (43), is believed to have been shot twice in the chest by gunmen through a window of his Glenwood Court home in the Poleglass area yesterday around 8pm.
One neighbour said his mother heard the gunfire and “thought it was fireworks”.
The incident comes just days after Peter Lagan (56) was shot six times in the legs in nearby Glenwood Drive after being abducted in Ardoyne. That attack was claimed by Oglaigh na hEireann in a statement.
Sinn Fein’s Stephen Magennis said: “Those who did this need to get off the people’s backs.”
These savage assaults had no place in our past and have no place in our society today
RESIDENTS in the Poleglass area of west Belfast have been left traumatised after two gunmen shot a man dead in his own home last night.
It is understood the man had been sitting in his house in Glenwood Court at around 8.15pm when the attackers shot him through the window.
Within minutes a crowd had gathered at the house amid scenes of distress.
Officers from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch have launched a murder investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery has urged anyone in the area at the time or who has any information about the shooting to contact police.
The incident comes just days after a paramilitary-style shooting close by the scene, in which a man was shot six times in the legs.
Last night’s victim has been named locally as Joe Reilly (43). It is understood he is a father of one.
One neighbour said his mother heard the gunfire and “thought it was fireworks”. He added: “This place is wild”. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but speculation is mounting that the murder was carried out by dissident republicans.
On Sunday Peter Lagan (56) was shot six times in a punishment-style attack in nearby Glenwood Drive.
It is believed he was abducted from the Ligoniel area and driven to Poleglass to be shot.
That attack was claimed by dissident group Oglaigh na hEireann in a sinister statement which also claimed it had intended to murder another man in north Belfast on Sunday, but that the intended victim had not been at home.
Sinn Fein MLA Jennifer McCann described distraught scenes at the house last night as members of the victim’s family tried to see him.
Local councillor Stephen Magennis said the family of the man who was shot dead, and the local community, were in shock at the murder.
“The people who did this need to get off the people’s backs,” he said.
“This community is very, very shocked at what has happened here tonight. The mood is very tense, very angry.”
The west Belfast representa- tive said that his heart went out to Mr Reilly’s grieving family — especially his partner and teenage son.
Mr Magennis said that, coming just a few days after another paramilitary-style shooting in the same area, it looked like republican dissidents were responsible for last night’s crime.
SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood added: “These savage assaults had no place in our past and have no place in our society today”.