Shooting of man in Polegass is condemned

The victim, who is in his 30s, suffered gunshot wounds to both legs in the incident in the Woodside Forest area and was taken to hospital for treatment. The shooting was reported shortly after 9pm, on Sunday.

SDLP Councillor Brian Heading described the shooting as ‘amasked gunmen dispensing rough justice.’

“There is no excuse for this kind of callous attack. I would encourage anyone in west Belfast, or indeed any community, to bring evidence of criminality to the police so that it can be deal with by the lawfully constituted authorities,” he added.

“The last thing we need is masked gunmen dispensing rough justice. Guns on our streets will solve nothing.”

Sinn Féin MLA Jennifer McCann also condemned the shooting.

“This attack is totally wrong and must be condemned. This attack is simply an attempt to bully and intimidate the local community,” she said.

“These armed criminal gangs have no place in our society and no support. They are making no contribution to local communities whatsoever.”