Feud link probed in murder inquiry
Police have launched a murder inquiry after a man blasted in the chest with a shotgun died in hospital
Police are investigating whether a feud between rival groups of Eastern Europeans triggered a dispute which ended with a man being shot dead.
The 36-year-old Lithuanian man sustained fatal injuries when he was blasted in the chest with a shotgun in Kilkeel, Co Down, on Saturday night. He died later in hospital.
Three men - aged 26, 31 and 36 - have been arrested over the murder. One of them - the 36-year-old - was shot in the leg during the altercation and is being treated in hospital. The other two suspects are being questioned by police at Antrim police station.
Police believe the disturbance between foreign nationals started in the Hawood Way area of the town around 9pm when a group of people attacked a house. The dispute then moved to nearby Rooney Park where at least two shots were fired on the street some time after 10pm. Officers said the assailants then made off.
DUP South Down Assembly candidate Jim Wells said there was an ongoing feud between Eastern Europeans living in the area.
"The shooting seems to have been the culmination of a series of chaotic events in the town over the course of Saturday evening," he said.
"The community is shocked that this feud, which was not of their making, spilled on to the streets of their town on such an important weekend in the Christian calendar. I unreservedly condemn those involved in all aspects of this feud.
"It is welcome that the PSNI is already making arrests and progressing the investigation. It is vital that those responsible for all murderous deeds on Saturday evening are convicted and removed from our streets."
South Down MP and SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie said the community had been left in shock.
"I offer my deepest sympathies to the bereaved family; how doubly tragic that this should happen on a day synonymous with family, friends and reflection," she said.
Press Association
