The gun attack on a husband and wife in their own home in west Belfast on Thursday night was an appalling act of violence which demonstrates the ruthlessness of those who live by their own lawless rules.
Peter and Marie Dorrian, who are aged in their fifties, were both shot in the legs at their house in Norglen Parade in the Turf Lodge area just after 6.15pm.
This was a horrific crime carried out in the most cold-blooded and callous manner.
Police are trying to determine who was responsible for this attack and what the motive was.
Initial reports suggested the intended victim was the couple's teenage son and they were wounded trying to protect him.
A family member later said the couple were targeted following a dispute in a bar several weeks ago.
However, whatever motivated this gang of thugs, there can be no possible justification for bursting into a family home and shooting two of the occupants.
Dissident republicans are being blamed for this despicable crime and as we know, these groups have carried out a number of paramilitary-style shootings in west Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland in recent months.
What these shootings do is underline the barbarity of the gun gangs, who use the threat of violence to impose their will on local areas.
They may present themselves as some sort of arbiter of law and order in these districts, but they are merely self-serving gangsters who are prepared to shoot someone knowing it could cause life-changing injury or even death.
It is less than a year since the murder of Ardoyne man Michael McGibbon, who was shot and left to die in an alleyway.
Despite that wicked crime, the gunmen continue to target people in their local communities.
These vicious gangs need to be brought to justice and anyone with information should come forward.
