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Funeral held for west Belfast murder victim Joe Reilly

Joe Reilly (43) was shot dead at his home in Poleglass on Thursday evening. His funeral today place yesterday
Joe Reilly (43) was shot dead at his home in Poleglass on Thursday evening. His funeral today place yesterday Joe Reilly (43) was shot dead at his home in Poleglass on Thursday evening. His funeral today place yesterday

The funeral has taken place of a 43-year-old man shot dead in west Belfast last week.

Father-of-one Joe Reilly was shot twice in the chest at his home in Poleglass on Thursday evening in what police described as a 'cold blooded execution'.

Requiem Mass was held in The Church of the Nativity yesterday afternoon, followed by cremation at Roselawn.

Ahead of the funeral a leaflet was distributed to media by parish priest Fr Pat Sheehan on behalf of the family calling for privacy.

"The family of Joe Reilly have expressed their wish that Joe's funeral be celebrated privately and away from the attention of the media," the leaflet read.

"While the circumstances of his murder raises important questions to society today is not the time to enter into that discussion. Today is a day to mourn a son, a brother and a father away from the gaze of the public."

In the notice Fr Sheehan encouraged anyone with information into the murder to come forward.

Police have said that on Thursday night several men, one armed with a handgun, opened the unlocked door of Mr Reilly’s house at Glenwood Court.

They ordered two other people to lie down on the kitchen floor while Mr Reilly was held in the living room. He was shot in the chest and died at the scene.

A motive for the shooting has yet to be established.

The gunmen, who are described as 6ft tall, were dressed in dark coats and trousers. One of the suspects was also wearing dark rimmed glasses and a Celtic scarf. Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them.