Main suspect described as short and stocky as footage of night of murder is released

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Police in Northern Ireland have released fresh footage of a man believed to be the New IRA gunman who killed the journalist Lyra McKee in Derry last week.

Det Supt Jason Murphy revealed previously unseen CCTV footage which he said indicated the killer was short, stocky and in his late teens.

“It’s my belief he is the gunman that fired indiscriminately into the crowd, placed the community and police officers at risk and took the life of Lyra,” he told a press conference on Friday.

“You can see he is wearing dark clothing and in other footage you can see this clothing in a different light. People know who he is.”

The New IRA, a dissident republican group, has admitted one of its members shot McKee, 29, while she observed rioting in the Creggan estate in Derry last Thursday. The group apologised and said the gunman was aiming at police.

The murder has prompted a backlash against the group and piled pressure on mainstream political parties to restore power sharing and end Northern Ireland’s political vacuum.

Police have lauded residents of the Creggan, a republican stronghold, for “unprecedented” cooperation. But three people brought in for questioning were released without charge.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead in Derry last week. Photograph: Jess Lowe/AFP/Getty Images

The charity Crimestoppers has offered a £10,000 reward for information about the killing.

Murphy, who is leading the police investigation, said some residents knew the identity of the masked killer and his two associates. “I’m asking them to come forward and help us,” he said.

The CCTV footage, which begins about one minute before the fatal shooting, shows three men walking.

“At the front you can see a man circled – he’s carrying a crate of petrol bombs towards where the crowd, including children, were standing,” said Murphy. “He is the tallest of the three men – I want to know who he is.”

He urged Creggan residents to set aside the traditional code against cooperating with police.

“I want to provide a personal reassurance that we are able to deal with these concerns sensitively. To date, we have received widespread public support including more than 140 people providing images, footage and other details via our dedicated major incident public portal.”

Community information and intelligence was not evidence, said Murphy. “Such information simply gets me through the door but it doesn’t get me to a courtroom. I need people to contact my team, to talk to us about what they know.”