Northern Ireland

Lyra McKee's murder has brought about a sea change - PSNI

Lyra McKee's murder has prompted a sea change in attitudes, according to police.
Lyra McKee's murder has prompted a sea change in attitudes, according to police. Lyra McKee's murder has prompted a sea change in attitudes, according to police.

The police officer heading up the investigation into the murder of journalist Lyra McKee has said officers have seen a “sea change” in the community since her killing.

Detective Superintendent Jason Murphy made a fresh appeal to anyone who had video footage of events in Creggan on Thursday night to submit the footage to police.

Mr Murphy said he updated Ms McKee’s family and her partner, Sara Canning, earlier on Saturday in what he described as a very difficult meeting.

“As you can imagine, they are absolutely devastated,” he said.

The police officer said Ms McKee’s family had a lot of questions which he tried to answer. However, he needed more help from the community to answer all their questions and to bring her killers to justice.

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“Lyra was killed by shots that were fired indiscriminately in Fanad Drive. The brutal nature of the attack has sent shockwaves around the world.

“The shots were fired in a residential area at a time when there were large numbers of local people on the street including children. The gunman showed no thought for who may have been killed or injured when he fired these shots,” Mr Murphy said.

He urged anyone who was in Fanad Drive on Thursday night to speak to police and to provide any mobile phone footage they might have.

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“We do not need to hold on to your phone; we have necessary equipment that will allow us to download the footage quickly. Alternatively, you can use the major incident portal at www.MIPP.police.uk to upload footage or tell us what they know.”

Mr Murphy said police had already received unprecedented support from the local community. He said there were people who knew what happened but were afraid to come forward.

“I want to reassure you that we will work with you sensitively. There is a sense that what happened to Lyra marked a sea change and I want people to have the confidence to come forward and help us. Those who killed Lyra in this cowardly attack must not be allowed to so this again,” he said.

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Those who killed Ms McKee continued to hide in the shadows, attempting to justify their actions to each other. They showed no courage to offer an explanation to Ms McKee’s family, Mr Murphy said.

“The community continue to work together with local policing to bring a lasting and positive change for the community of the Creggan. This should be Lyra’s legacy.

“Lyra’s murder was not just an attack on Lyra, it was an attack on the fabric of the community. Lyra’s killers have succeeded only in uniting the entire community in condemnation,” Mr Murphy said.

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