Derry Shooting Victim "Innocent"

The man who died following a shooting in Londonderry early this morning - named earlier as Emmett Shiels - was an innocent victim, killed because he happened upon an incident.

Mr Shiels was 22-years-old and from Tyrconnell Street in the Bogside area of the city.

The shooting happened around 12.25am this morning in Derry's Creggan area.

Detective Chief Inspector Frankie Taylor said the man had became involved in a row by chance, and had not participated in any violence.

He also said that police have recovered two vehicles, one in Creggan and one in Pennyburn.

It is understood Mr Shiels was being chased by a group of masked men before he was shot.

He said a shot had been fired during an earlier incident in Abbot's Walk in the Bogside, and Mr Shiels had encountered those responsible as he was driving along Lone Moor Road in his pizza delivery van.

"He became involved purely because he was driving a vehicle along the Lone Moor Road," said the senior detective.

"We believe that he knew some of the people involved, and that was why he stopped.

"It is also our belief that he was trying to defend others," he said.

Fr Stephen McLaughlin said the man was pursued by a group of possibly masked men and that the victim may have been delivering a pizza.

He said residents told him that the man - in his early 20s - had been shot and killed in a grassy area not far from St Mary's Church in the Creggan.

While police are now at the scene, and Chief Inspector Chris Yates has commented that it was a "cold blooded shooting" there has been criticism about the police's response time.

While the senior officer said that police were at the scene "as soon as was practical", Fr McLaughlin, raised concerns about the police response, and said: "It would have been 3.30am or later than that actually before they began to cordon off the location.

"Certainly, local people mentioned to me that they were somewhat bewildered that police didn't appear until that point."

However, Chief Inspector Chris Yates said: "Within 10 minutes of the call coming in it was confirmed the victim was en route to hospital and there was no risk to him from us not attending the scene.

He said "the initial call was that the marksmen were lying in wait in the area".

"So under those circumstances, and with the recent terrorist incident in Fermanagh in which two police officers were nearly killed, we're not going to go rushing blindly into an area until we're satisfied that it's safe to do so," he said.

NI First Minister Peter Robinson has since described the murder as "a despicable and cowardly act".

"There will be no turning back to the dark days of the past, we will not allow our achievements to be destroyed by violence that has no place in our society," he said.

Also, Derry man, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said those responsible have "nothing to offer society".

"They do not represent anyone in Derry or in the wider community," he said.

(BMcC)