Lyra McKee: CCTV released of suspected gunman as police arrest two men

‘The answers to what happened... lie within the community,’ detective says

Detectives investigating the murder of Lyra McKee have released​ CCTV footage of the person suspected of killing her.

The footage was made public just hours before two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested under the Terrorism Act in relation to the journalist’s death.

Ms McKee was shot while reporting on riots in Derry, Northern Ireland on Thursday night.

The security footage appears to show her suspected killer, a masked gunman, standing by a barrier in the midst of crowds and burning cars.

He can be seen raising his gun and appears to fire the weapon into a crowd.

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

“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.

“People saw the gunman and people saw those who goaded young people out onto the streets, people know who they are,” Mr Murphy added.

“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.”

Ms McKee had been covering unrest in Creggan, an area in Derry, when she was shot.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) had been searching for firearms and explosives in the district on Thursday night.

Officers then came under attack as more than 50 petrol bombs were thrown at them and two cars were hijacked and set on fire.

Ms McKee was standing next to an armoured police vehicle when she was shot. Investigators believe the gunman had been targeting officers and accidentally hit the journalist.

In separate footage from the scene, filmed on a mobile phone, the suspected gunman can be seen firing twice into the crowd.

The clip, shared by a member of the public on social media, shows the shooter leaning around a barrier surrounding the Creggan Day Centre to aim towards police.

He fires two shots, three seconds apart, with what appears to be a handgun before screaming is heard.

Police officers at the scene took Ms McKee to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

The 29-year-old’s death has lead to an outpouring of grief in Northern Ireland, where vigils have been held in her memory.

John Boyle, Derry’s mayor, said the killing was “not done in the name of the people of this city”.

He said: “Those responsible need to understand that. The citizens of Derry, or Londonderry – it doesn’t matter what you call this city – everyone is united with one voice today to speak out.”

Anyone with information is urged to call the ​PSNI on 101 and to submit footage or images at to the dedicated Major Incident Public Portal via https://mipp.police.uk/operation/PSNI19O09-PO1

Additional reporting by agencies