Attack condemned: Man shot in front of child
A “merciless” shooting of a man in west Belfast in front of a woman and young child has been condemned.
The attack at a property in the Hazel Glen area was reported to police just before 8pm on Wednesday.
Police received a report that two masked men had forced their way into the property and fired a number of shots at the man in the hallway.
“He remains in hospital this morning where he’s being treated for his wounds,” a spokesman said yesterday. The victim has been left with significant injuries after what a detective inspector called “a merciless attack” carried out by thugs.
“It has also left a young child and the woman who were in the house, and who heard this brutal attack being carried out, extremely traumatised,” he said.
A possible link with a burnedout car is being investigated. An Audi A3, which was found on Mckinstry Road, was reported to police just before 8.30pm.
The shooting comes less than a week after another man in west Belfast was shot in a suspected paramilitary-style assault. The man in his 30s was shot in his legs in the Downfine Walk area in Turf Lodge on December 3. Reacting to the latest incident, Sinn Fein MLA Orlaithi Flynn said: “There is no place for this type of activity on the streets and those responsible should get off the backs of the community.”
SDLP councillor Brian Heading added: “I urge anyone with any information to contact the PSNI. I know the local community will pull together to stand resolutely against this kind of brutal violence.”