A number of people in Derry have been informed by police that their lives are in danger.
On the run: Kieran McLaughlin is armed and mentally unstable
The warning follows the murder in the city on Thursday last of career criminal Barry McCrory (35), a killing which police have described as a “brutal execution.”
The father of one was shot dead in a flat in Shipquay in the city by a lone gunman. Police have named former INLA member Kieran McLaughlin as a man they would like to speak to in relation to the killing.
As a massive cr0ss-border manhunt for the 58-year-old enters its sixth day, police say people in the city are living “in fear”
Only hours before Mr McCrory’s funeral this morning, police confirmed they had informed a number of local people that their lives were under threat.
Local PSNI commander Chief Inspector John Burrows appealed for Mr McLaughlin to turn himself in, stressing he was “innocent until proven guilty.”
He confirmed over 100 officers were involved 24/7 in the hunt for McLaughlin and warned anyone assisting him of the consequences.
He said: “It is a very serious offence to harbour or assist someone wanted for questioning about a crime.”
Inspt Burrows said a number of sitings in Donegal and Derry were “credible.”
In a message directed at Mr McLaughlin, he said: “This is not going to go away. This is causing distress to your family and to the family of Mr McCrory and is causing fear in the community.”
He concluded: “We have discussed with a number of people their security in relation to this case and we are managing those risks at the moment.”
Mr McCrory’s Requiem Mass took place this morning in St Joseph’s Church in Galliagh. There was a significant police presence in the area during the service and officers were also placed at strategic locations along the route to the City Cemetery where he was laid to rest.
Tags:
