The death of 22-year-old Conan Anderson is a dreadful tragedy for his family, friends and the wider Short Strand community where he gave of his time in a positive way as a youth football coach.
By all accounts a kind and well mannered young man, the sports development student lost his life almost two weeks after after a night out in Belfast city centre.
He had been out at Thompson's Garage nightclub on Sunday February 5 and sustained a head injury on Arthur Lane in the early hours of the following morning.
His brother Brendan has described how he had made his way home but his family later realised something was seriously wrong and called an ambulance.
Conan was taken to hospital where he was found to have a fractured skull and internal bleeding on the brain. He remained in a coma and sadly passed away last Saturday.
The PSNI has now said they are treating Conan Anderson's death as murder and have appealed for information.
It is absolutely essential that the full circumstances of this young man's untimely death are uncovered and anyone who can shed any light on what happened on that fateful night must come forward.
Detectives will need the support and co-operation of the community in their efforts to ensure justice is done in this tragic case.
While the details of what happened to Conan have yet to be determined and a police investigation is under way, this terrible incident raises wider issues of public concern in relation to violence in the city centre.
It is shocking to think that a night out in the city could have horrific consequences and there are questions to be asked about the number of assaults that take place and the behaviour that puts people at risk.
The hospitality industry is hugely important for Belfast in terms of attracting local people and visitors.
We need to ensure that our streets are safe with special attention given to the area around licensed premises.
