CCTV Released In Investigation Of Coleraine Shooting

Police investigating a shooting incident in Coleraine have released CCTV footage of the suspected gunman.

A 61-year-old woman was seriously injured when gunmen fired over 10 shots at her home on Bushmills Road, Coleraine on Monday 5 October. She had been sleeping in a chair downstairs due to her various health problems when she was shot in the head by one of the many bullets fired at the house by a gang of three men.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, from the Major Investigation Team said: "Our investigation is continuing to identify those who carried out this vile and callous attack. I am pleased to say the grandmother is now making good progress however I am treating this incident as attempted murder.

"Today I am releasing CCTV footage of the 3 men I believe were involved in firing over 10 shots at a house. I have stated previously that I believe the attack was carried out by members of the North Antrim UDA and that two different types of weapons were used.

"I believe the attack was carried out by members of the North Antrim UDA and that two different types of weapons were used – a hand gun and shotgun. I know one of the guns has been used multiple times to hurt other members of this community over recent months and it needs to be removed from the clutches of these dangerous individuals.

"One of the pieces of CCTV footage shows two of the suspects walking in a lane behind the house following the shooting. They are both wearing hats and I believe the man on the left hand side of the screen is carrying the shotgun used in the attack.

"In relation to the second piece of footage showing a man running along the lane, I believe this is the 3rd suspect and that he is carrying a handgun. It is my assessment that this handgun has been used been used multiple times to hurt other members of this community over recent months and it needs to be removed to prevent further attacks.

"Both these weapons remain outstanding and I hope the substantial reward from the independent charity Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who carried out this callous shooting will encourage people to give vital information anonymously to the charity. This reward is also available to anyone who can provide information leading to the recovery of the weapons.

"The reward is also for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who carried out this callous shooting and I would ask anyone who recognises these men in the CCTV footage to come forward.

"I am appealing to the Coleraine community to help us remove these violent criminals and this weapon from their streets by bringing any information they have to either the police or Crimestoppers which is completely anonymous."