A £10,000 reward has been offered by Crimestoppers for anonymous information in connection with the shooting of a 61-year-old woman in her Coleraine home which police have blamed on the North Antrim UDA.
Sally Cummings was shot in the head as she slept in a chair in a downstairs room. A gang of three men had fired more than 10 shots at the Bushmlls Road property and the grandmother was struck by at least one bullet which smashed a living room window in the October 5 attack.
Police today described Ms Cummings as "a vulnerable woman" with "various health problems".
Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Caldwell, from the PSNI Major Investigation Team said the attack had been "vile and callous" and carried out by members of the North Antrim UDA using a handgun and shotgun. He said one of the weapons "has been used multiple times" in recent months.
“I believe the attack was carried out by members of the North Antrim UDA and that two different types of weapons were used – a hand gun and shotgun. It beggars belief that they fired over 10 shots, smashing numerous windows in the house, not caring that this vulnerable woman was inside," he said.
“I know one of the guns has been used multiple times to hurt other members of this community over recent months and it needs to be removed from the clutches of these dangerous individuals. This is why we have taken the unusual step of making the reward available for the recovery of the weapons."
DCI Caldwell said the gun attack had left the 61-year-old fighing for her life but "she is now making good progress".
The senior officer said he wanted to hear from anyone who noticed a group of men, wearing hooded tops, who had been seen shortly before the attempted murder running across Bushmills Road from a laneway leading from Millburn.
"Three men were then seen walking and running up a lane behind the Bushmills Road house,” he added.
The gun attack was carried out shortly before midnight on Monday October 5.
“I hope the substantial reward from the independent charity Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who carried out this callous shooting will encourage people to give vital information anonymously to the charity. This reward is also available to anyone who can provide information leading to the recovery of the weapons," he added.
Anyone with information can contact independent charity Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/
"There is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and computer IP addresses are never traced. Crimestoppers guarantees 100% anonymity to everyone who contacts them,” DCI Caldwell added.
A £10,000 reward has been offered for information regarding the shooting of a vulnerable women in her home in Coleraine last month.
— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) November 17, 2020
DCI John Caldwell believes the North Antrim UDA were involved and that two different guns were used in the attack. pic.twitter.com/8obrxasnti
