Police Service of Northern Ireland detain three people in connection with the murder of the 28-year-old

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

A west Belfast man shot in the Lower Falls district on Friday afternoon has died in hospital.

Edward Gibson died from his wounds late on Friday night in the Royal Victorial hospital.

The 28-year-old had been shot in the stomach and chest at an entry between Divis Street and Clonfaddan Crescent.

A 30-year-old man sustained a stab wound in the same incident but was later arrested at the scene.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said two men aged 30 and 33 along with a 31-year-old woman have also been detained in connection with the murder of Gibson.

Sinn Fein councillor Fra McCann who lives in the area said there had been a “serious fight” between a number of men a few hours before the fatal shooting. Sometime later McCann was told by residents that a man had been shot.

A PSNI commander in west Belfast appealed to the public for help in catching the killers.



Det Ch Insp Justyn Galloway said: “I appeal to anyone who was in Clonfaddan Crescent in the Divis area around 5pm on Friday evening and to anyone who was in the Albert Street area around 4.30pm and witnessed a related incident, to contact detectives.”

In recent weeks there have been at least half a dozen reported so-called “punishment” shootings in west and north Belfast in areas where dissident republican terror groups such as the New IRA and Oghlaigh na hEireann are active.

• This article was amended on 27 October 2014. An earlier version said Edward Gibbons had been targeted in a dissident republican “punishment” shooting. Republican and security sources in Belfast now believe none of the active dissident republican groups was responsible and Gibbons was shot because of a personal dispute rather than one with a political context.