POLICE have said they believe a double shooting in Derry was carried out by dissident republicans.
A 48-year-old man was shot in his thigh and shin and a 31-year-old was shot in his thigh in the Creggan area on Saturday.
The attack happened in an alleyway at Rinmore Drive, near Creggan shops, shortly after 6.30pm.
The Ambulance Service and police attended the scene and both men were taken to hospital.
One of the injured men is understood to have been discharged, but the other man was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast where he was in intensive care last night.
Detective Inspector Michelle Boyd described the shootings as "savage".
"Our officers are continuing with their enquiries into these savage attacks, which we believe were carried out by dissident republicans," she said.
"The fact the victims were shot in a residential area at a time when people would have been out and about shows just how reckless those responsible are, and how they have no regard whatsoever for life."
She said the double shooting "brings the number of shootings in our city to four since the start of the year".
"They are simply unacceptable and there can never be any justification for them," she added.
"Carrying out attacks like this during a global health pandemic is particularly repugnant.
"We know the majority of people are working hard to keep their community safe and to protect the NHS, yet these violent criminals are endangering lives and increasing pressures on our emergency services and frontline workers.
"I am appealing to the public to help us remove these violent criminals from our community by bringing any information they have to us."
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood condemned the attack.
"Utterly depressing that we've had a double shooting in Derry," the SDLP leader tweeted.
"Our hospital has enough to deal with at this time. We don't want the law of the jungle in our city. Get off our backs."
Sinn Féin MLA Karen Mullan said the shooting was "wrong and I condemn it".
"There is no place for guns or this type of activity on our streets," she said.
"This is the fourth shooting since Christmas. We are in the middle of a pandemic, our health service is already stretched to the limit.
"This is the last thing people of this city want to see."
People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin also described it as "barbaric".
"These are futile acts that only serve to further traumatise those directly impacted and a community facing many hardships - and brings burden to an already overwhelmed health service." he said.
