A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man in a shooting incident in north Belfast, police said.
Emergency services and police attended the scene of the incident in the Cliftonville Road area of the city on Tuesday evening.
Part of Cliftonville Road was closed and a number of diversions were put in place.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Montgomery said: “We received a report around 8.15pm, that a man had been shot in the Cliftonville Road area of the city.
“Officers attended, along with colleagues from NIAS.
“Sadly, a man has been pronounced dead.”
He urged anyone who was in the area at the time or who may have information about the incident to come forward and assist police with their enquiries.
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it dispatched one rapid response paramedic, two emergency crews and an ambulance officer to the incident.
It said that following initial assessment, all ambulance resources cleared the scene and no patients were taken from the scene.
Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín said the community was deeply shocked by the incident.
“There are reports that a man has been shot and injured in the Cliftonville Road area of North Belfast,” she said.
“The local community are deeply shocked by this incident.
“I am appealing to any witnesses to this shooting to come forward to police and assist their investigation.”
SDLP councillor Paul McCusker described the attack as “brutal”.
“I utterly condemn the shooting of a man on the Cliftonville Road area of North Belfast,” he said.
“This is horrific news for a family to receive and the wider community is rightly shocked.
“Those responsible for this shooting have absolutely nothing to offer our community and local residents should be allowed to live their lives without the threat of violence.
“The community does not support these actions. There is no place for violence on our streets.
“An attack of this nature is senseless and horrific at any time, but particularly in the context of a global pandemic that has left our health and emergency services under huge pressure.”
He appealed for anyone with information about the attack to contact police.
People Before Profit Councillor Fiona Ferguson, who lives locally, said the incident was not representative of the area, nor welcomed.
“There is never a place for gun violence or murder on our streets but this incident, with many shots reportedly fired, is particularly reprehensible,” she said.
“The local community is understandably horrified. This is not representative of our local area and certainly not welcomed. My thoughts are with those impacted by the senseless act of violence.”
