20/07/2001

GUNMEN OPEN FIRE IN COMMUNITY CENTRE

GUNMEN have opened fire in a community centre in the New Lodge area narrowly missing children who were present at a playgroup in the building.

The incident occurred at the Ashton Centre on Churchill Road at around 10am on Friday 20 July. Reports indicate that masked gunmen entered the rear of the building where they proceeded to shoot at two men, before fleeing the scene.

While there are no reports of injuries, several people have been treated for shock, including children and two women who were in the centre as part of an after-schools project. When the gunmen opened fire, several shots entered the room where the children were playing, passing through a door.

Jim Deery, who chairs a community forum in the building, said it was a “miracle” that no-one was killed during the incident, while a spokesperson for Sinn Fein has claimed that loyalist paramilitaries were behind the attack.

A car found abandoned nearby in Annesley Street is thought to be related to the shooting, and has been examined by Army bomb experts. (CL)

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