Omagh police shooting: Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill says ‘we stand united in condemnation’ of attack on senior officer

Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill has condemned the shooting of a senior police officer in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, the party’s deputy leader said “we stand united as one voice in condemnation” of the attack on Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell.

“It is so important in moments like this that we stand united,” she said.

“And we do stand here united as one voice in our condemnation against this horrific attack on a police officer, someone who is part of our community.

“I think the most powerful message we can send is to stand with the chief constable today and to stand with the police service and to say ‘this is not good enough’.

“This is an attack on all of us, this is an attack on our community.”

Ms O’Neill was speaking alongside the head of Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) and political representatives from the five main Stormont parties, including DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who branded those who carried out the attack as “evil”.

He said: “I would say to the evil people who carried out this heinous attack and their organisation: You are not the future of this place. We stand against you.”

He said that his party would work together with other parties to engage with the government to ensure that resources are made available to the police force “to carry out its job effectively”.

Stephen Farry, the Alliance Party leader, added: “Today, all five parties of Northern Ireland standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the chief constable and, indeed, all of the brave men and women of the PSNI.”

Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie described the shooting as an “attack on our community and attack on our hard-won peace”, while Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood said those who carried out the attack would “achieve nothing”.

DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times in front of young people he had been coaching at a sports centre just before 8pm on Wednesday, in Omagh, Co Tyrone.

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According to police, the attack happened while the detective was loading footballs into the boot of his car when the two men opened fire.

On Thursday, the force said DCI Caldwell ran a short distance after the first shots were fired and that his attackers continued to shoot at him as he fell to the floor.

The dissident republican group, the New IRA, is the “primary focus” of the police’s attempted murder investigation, the PSNI previously said.

Three men – aged 38, 45 and 47 – were arrested in Omagh and Coalisland on Thursday morning in connection with the investigation.

A fourth arrest followed in the early hours of Friday – a 22-year-old was arrested in the Coalisland area.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said that DCI Caldwell remained “critically ill and heavily sedated” in hospital following the attempt made on his life.

“We do not underestimate, from the point of view of the police service, how important it is that we are joined today in an act of unity from all the political parties across Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Clearly we know from what we’ve done so far and from commentary from across the community, and the political spectrum, the sheer sense of outrage of this pointless and senseless attack.”