Two men stable in hospital following incident in County Armagh

By Q Radio News

A man's in a critical but stable condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach in South Armagh.

It follows an incident in Park Urney in Forkhill last night where a parked car was attacked by a gang of men.

The 54 year old man inside the vehicle was then assaulted when trying to get away.

It's believed he was then struck on the head with a firearm causing head injuries.

Police say one of the suspects a 37 year-old man is reported to have fallen and suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach.

He was taken to hospital in a blue Honda Accord which was later found burnt out in the Mourne View Park area of Newry.

The Newry Armagh MP said such acts have no place in our society. 

"I utterly condemn this horrendous incident and I would appeal for calm as details emerge to avoid any kind of escalation," he said. 

"The area is in shock over it. This was a savage attack and something we do not want in our communities.

"There is no justification for this shooting, especially given the fact that when you take weapons onto the street in such a reckless manner there is always the risk of bystanders being injured or killed as well.

"I would urge anyone with any information to contact the police and help get these dangerous criminals off our streets and away from our communities.

Detective Inspector Handley said:

“I want to take this opportunity to make a number of appeals this morning and urge anyone with information that may help our investigation to pick up the phone and tell us what you know.  

“Were you in Park Urney in Forkhill last night between 6pm and 6:30pm? Did you see a Blue Honda Accord in the Park Urney area of Forkhill, or in the Hospital Road area in Newry around 6:30pm; or did you capture this vehicle on your dash cam? Did you see  what occurred? 

“Were you at Daisy Hill Hospital last night around 6:30pm? Did you see anything out of the ordinary, in particular a Blue Honda Accord in the Accident & Emergency area and, finally, were you in the Mourne View Park area of Newry around 8:15pm night where a Blue Honda Accord was found burnt out? Did you see any suspicious activity, including vehicles or persons? 

“If you have information, please call our detectives at Ardmore on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1628 of 15/10/19.” 

Alternatively, information can be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.