A man has been shot dead at a petrol station in County Down, police have said.

The shooting took place on Main Street in the village of Waringstown on Monday night.

It is understood the victim, believed to be a loyalist, was shot close to the petrol station forecourt. The area remained sealed off late on Monday night with police in attendance.

A statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said it had launched a murder inquiry after a man’s body was found in his car behind the petrol station. DCI Michelle Shaw said: “Our inquiries are at a very early stage and I am appealing for anyone with information that could potentially assist our investigation to please get in touch by calling 101.”

Dolores Kelly, the Social Democratic and Labour party’s member for Upper Bann in the Northern Ireland assembly, said the local community was in shock. “This is a quiet, settled village and people are appalled that violence has been brought on to their streets.”

The Democratic Unionist party assembly member Carla Lockhart said: “It is shocking at any time for someone to be shot in the constituency but more so in somewhere like Waringstown,” she said. “It is a generally quiet village with a thriving population and I would condemn this in the strongest terms. My thoughts and prayers are with the family caught up in this incident and I would appeal to anyone with information to come forward to the police.”