POLICE are continuing to appeal for help in tracking down the killers of Newry murder victim Mark Lovell amid fears the brutal killing could spark further violence.
The 58-year-old father-of-three was reportedly shot up to 15 times at close range in his car at Ardcarn Park just after 6pm on Thursday.
The killing is understood to be the latest episode in an escalating feud linked to cross-border crime gangs.
Recent arsons and an acid attack in Newry city centre are all being probed as part of the investigation.
The well-planned attack occurred days after the 58-year-old's daughter Whitney Hughes was refused bail at Newry Magistrates Court.
The 30-year-old woman is facing a dozen drug charges linked to the alleged possession and supply of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines.
At the hearing on Wednesday November 23 the court heard an allegation that she “plays a small part in a larger organised crime gang”.
A detective constable told the court her father, Mark Lovell, had been injured in a shooting in Dundalk in October during which his dog was killed.
It is thought Lovell subsequently relocated from his Woodbury Gardens house in the Co Louth town to the Hughes’ home in Ardcarn park.
The same detective told the court that Whitney Hughes had been ordered to leave Newry, adding: “We believe that there’s an ongoing feud in Newry and south Armagh for the supply of drugs.
“Releasing her into that, to an address that’s been identified by a rival faction, is a risk that we cannot manage.”
Last month, police in Newry launched a public appeal to track down Lovell’s son Ebony Hughes in connection with an undisclosed incident in the city centre in May 2022.
Funeral details have not yet been released, but the family of Mark Lovell have appointed undertakers in Dundalk, with the expectancy that the burial will take place in Co Louth.
That would leave An Garda Síochána responsible for maintaining the tight security the funeral is expected to require.
Speaking on Saturday, PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly said: “Mark Lovell was a much-loved husband and father and was cruelly and callously gunned down as he drove towards his own home in the early evening.
“This appalling murder occurred at a time when local people were out and about, and indeed many neighbours who heard the gunshots immediately ran to provide what assistance they could.
“We believe those responsible went to great lengths to plan their attack and lie in wait for their victim to essentially ambush and execute him. They have shown a startling lack of regard for human life and have left a devastated and bereft family in their wake.
“Our murder investigation continues apace and we are working to establish a definitive motive for the killing I would urge anyone with information and anyone who may have captured dashcam or any other footage in the area at around the time of the murder to please get in touch with detectives from the major investigation team."