Northern Ireland

Police revisit scene of Decky Collins gun attack

A mobile phone image taken shortly after Decky Collins was shot several times on the Springfield Road in west Belfast
A mobile phone image taken shortly after Decky Collins was shot several times on the Springfield Road in west Belfast A mobile phone image taken shortly after Decky Collins was shot several times on the Springfield Road in west Belfast

POLICE probing a gun attack on a busy west Belfast road last month revisited the scene yesterday evening.

Deaghlan Collins, known as Decky, was shot twice in the legs on the Springfield Road at about 7.40pm on July 22.

The 30-year-old was leaving a fast-food restaurant when the attack took place.

Mr Collins ran about 200 yards and tried to escape by jumping into the back seat of a passing car.

The gunman is thought to have made off along Kashmir Road after the shooting.

PSNI Detective Inspector Kerry Brennan said the shooting was "an absolutely reckless act involving a man who was gunned down in a busy area in west Belfast on a bright summer’s evening".

She said the gunman was around 5’9’’ tall with a lean build. He wore a dark jacket; a black hat; dark gloves; dark trousers and dark trainers with a white sole and white tongue. He also had a scarf over his face.

She asked drivers or anyone on Springfield Road or Kashmir Street between 7pm and 7.50pm on July 22 to contact police.

"To drivers, I would ask you to check your dash cam footage as you may have captured vital evidence," she said.

Mr Collins had been warned he was under threat from an armed group.

He was in a critical condition in hospital following the shooting but is now expected to make a full recovery.