It almost defies belief that anyone could be prepared to produce a gun and take a human life in north Belfast at a period when the entire community is struggling to cope with the devastating consequences of the coronavirus emergency.
A major police investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the killing in Ardoyne on Saturday morning of Robbie Lawlor, who was regarded as a career criminal with a long record of involvement in gang-linked violence.
The 35-year-old Dubliner was a suspect in a number of notorious murders, and there have been suggestions that he was shot either by elements connected to the drugs trade or other criminality.
No one had the right to carry out such a brutal assassination at any time, regardless of the background of the victim, and the fact that it took place in broad daylight in a densely populated area can only add to the sense of revulsion.
The emergency services also had to be diverted away from their vital duties in protecting all sections of society from a pandemic during which the death toll in Ireland, north and south, has passed the 200 mark.
It is appalling that, in addition to the Ardoyne outrage, individuals set out to commit serious robberies in commercial districts in both Belfast and Co Louth over the weekend.
A well organised group stole two cash machines from the centre of Dundalk in Co Louth, although they were recovered in Forkhill, Co Armagh after a cross-border pursuit involving both Gardaí and the PSNI, with a number of arrests following.
Ram raiders also smashed a car into a store in Bedford Street close to Belfast City Hall before escaping with clothes in the early hours of the morning.
Traders have already brought to the brink of financial ruin during the Covid-19 restrictions, and it is shocking that they could be cynically targeted by thugs at the same time.
The indications are that some individuals are taking the opportunity presented by the worldwide health crisis to either settle scores or go on a rampage of theft and destruction.
It is essential that ordinary citizens respond by providing the police on both sides of the border with the help needed to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.
