Monday, February 18, 2013

The Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder and threatening to commit murder Saturday after a shooting incident in the Northern Irish capital Belfast Friday.

Two men, one aged 24 and the other 22, were both seriously injured in the incident at Old Park Road in the north of Belfast, which was reported to police about 7:30pm local time Friday. The 24-year-old man, identified by UTV Live as Sean Corbett, had recently departed from a shop and was standing near a vehicle when as many as ten gunshots were fired at him. The 22-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was sitting inside the vehicle and also suffered numerous gunshots wounds.

Corbett was transported to Mater Infirmorum Hospital, where he was subsequently given urgent surgery. The other man, who managed to drive to hospital himself, was also given medical treatment for his wounds. The last reports indicated both men were in stable condition.

North Belfast Area Commander Chief Inspector Andy Freeburn spoke against the shooting, calling it, “unacceptable in our community”. He described the incident as “an utterly reckless attack with up to 40 members of the public, including women and children, in close proximity”, adding: “[W]e are lucky that we are not dealing with many more casualties today.” The suspect is understood to be cooperating with police as they investigate the incident.