Video footage showing the moments before journalist Lyra McKee’s death has been released by police in Northern Ireland.

Ms McKee, 29, was shot in the head as she covered disturbances in Londonderry on Thursday evening and died later in hospital.

Police have now released CCTV footage which shows the street around the time of her murder, including what appears to be a man opening fire.

The footage shows where Ms McKee was standing among others and next to a police van before cutting to other angles of the street.

It shows a masked gunman crouching down on the street and firing with a handgun.

It also shows the gunman at the corner of the street and a man picking something up from the ground at the same corner.

Northern Ireland Police appear to have identified someone they want to speak to or want information about. One man appears to lift his hand and shoot a weapon before leaving the scene.

Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy said: “We are issuing CCTV from the incident to encourage anyone with information to make contact with us.

“We have already received a large number of calls and information from the public and I would like to thank them for their support and for their willingness to come forward and to try to help us take a killer off the streets.

“We also know that a range of footage is circulating on social media however I cannot stress enough how important it is that people who were in the area last night and who recorded video and took photos share what they have with us via our Major Incident Public Portal.”

He added: “People saw the gunman and people saw those who goaded young people out onto the streets, people know who they are. The answers to what happened last night lie within the community. I am asking people to do the right thing for Lyra McKee, for her family and for the city of Derry/Londonderry and help us stop this madness.”

Detectives have said the New IRA, a dissident republican group, was most likely behind the reporter’s murder.

Ms McKee’s partner Sara Canning told a vigil in Derry: “Our hopes and dreams and all of her amazing potential was snuffed out by this single barbaric act.”

She said it has left so many friends without their confidante.

“Victims and LGBTQI community are left without a tireless advocate and activist and it has left me without the love of my life, the woman I was planning to grow old with.

She added: “This cannot stand, Lyra’s death must not be in vain because her life was a shining light in everyone else’s life and her legacy will live on and the life that she has left behind.”

However, Republican group Saoradh released a statement claiming a “Republican Volunteer” shot Ms McKee while attempting to “defend people” from the PSNI.

Trouble broke out on Thursday night as officers carried out a search operation aimed at disrupting dissident republicans ahead of this weekend’s commemoration of Irish independence.

During the disturbances, more than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at officers – and two cars were hijacked and set on fire.

A gunman fired a number of shots at police, one of which hit Ms McKee in the head.

Tributes to Ms McKee were offered by Arlene Foster, Theresa May, and Leo Varadkar, as well as Sinn Fein’s deputy leader Michelle O’Neill and Robin Swann, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party.

:: Anyone with footage can upload it on a dedicated portal or call PSNI on 101.

Source: Read Full Article