THE MAN shot dead on the Shankill Road in west Belfast yesterday is believed to have had loyalist paramilitary connections. However, it has not been established that this was a contributory factor to the murder.
The victim has been named locally as Bobby Moffat (44), who was shot at close range by two men wearing high-visibility jackets in an attack at lunchtime.
He was hit in the head a number of times at the junction of Shankill Road and Conway Street. Police said the murder was “ruthless and cold-blooded”.
The victim is understood to have had connections with the UVF and may have been targeted by other loyalist figures.
Thursday’s report by the governments’ paramilitary watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission, claimed loyalist organisations were quiet but warned of criminal activity by some individual members.
The murder was witnessed by a large number of people who were on the street during a busy lunchtime. The gunmen were last seen running in the direction of Conway Street. One witness said he thought there may have been a getaway car.
The man was given emergency medical treatment on the road where he fell before being taken to hospital, where he died from his injuries a short time later.
Among those at the scene was Ulster Unionist West Belfast general election candidate Bill Manwaring, who said he saw the victim, still breathing, being transferred to hospital.
The PSNI said it was following definite lines of inquiry and appealed for witnesses to come forward. The Serious Crime Branch said in a statement last night it was encouraged by the large number of witnesses who had come forward. Det Insp Justyn Galloway, who heads the inquiry, said: “We will work with these witnesses to identify, locate and arrest those responsible.” He added: “At this stage, police do not believe the murder was sectarian.”
It was reported last night that the victim had been involved in a personal dispute with another figure in recent days.
The murder has been condemned by Northern Secretary Owen Paterson, Minister for Justice David Ford, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the DUP and Ulster Unionists.
The murder followed a pipe bomb attack on Sinn Féin offices in Castlewellan, Co Down, at about 3am yesterday. The device is thought to have partially exploded. The incident was condemned by Sinn Féin South Down Assembly member Caitríona Ruane.
Sinn Féin has also warned the PSNI it may consider its levels of co-operation unless a row involving a former Catholic priest is resolved. Kevin Kennedy is suing the chief constable after Mr Kennedy was forced to quit a civilian post with the policing board after he failed a security assessment.
Last month he failed in a court bid to gain access to security papers used by the police in their assessment. The court heard he failed because of intelligence regarding his brother, Dermot.
Policing board member and Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey said: “Cases like this are examples of how we have not yet finalised the work of ending political policing, and we have got to do that.”