A former IRA commander has been shot dead in Belfast in a killing that immediately prompted warnings from political leaders against a return to Northern Ireland's violent past.
Gerard Davison, who was investigated but never charged for a high-profile murder in 2005, was fatally wounded in the city centre on Tuesday (local time).
"His family are well-known and he is very well-regarded in this area as a long-standing republican," said Alex Maskey, a regional parliament member from the republican Sinn Fein party.
Alasdair McDonnell, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), said: "Witnesses have described how the man was shot in the street.
"People here want to move on from the violence of the past. This community will reject those who bring murder and mayhem to our streets."
The police said they had begun a murder investigation.
"I do not believe dissident republicans have been involved," said Justyn Galloway, the detective leading the investigation.
"Many people in Northern Ireland have a past but that is in the past and there is no justification for the gunning down of this community worker," he said.
Davison was investigated over the killing of 33-year-old Robert McCartney following a brawl at a pub in 2005.
McCartney's sisters launched a high-profile campaign to find his killers, which included visiting the White House, saying his murder was ordered by the IRA and then covered up.
The murder came at a delicate time for the republican movement which was involved in tortuous negotiations over the reform of Northern Ireland's police force.
Davison was expelled by the IRA following an internal investigation and was questioned by detectives.
Nobody has ever been convicted of the killing.
The 1998 Good Friday peace accords brought an end to most of the violence from the troubles in Northern Ireland - three decades of civil unrest that left 3500 people dead.
AFP
source: newshub archive
